Chicken Pox

What is Chicken Pox

Chicken pox or Varicella is a very infectious disease that can be spread airborne or through contact with skin lesions. Despite its name chicken pox is not a pox and is unrelated to smallpox and any resistance to one disease is not transferable from the other. The disease is often not dangerous in children but complications can still arise.

Symptoms:

• Rash that develops fluid filled blisters that eventually scab over
• Fever
• Tiredness 
• Headaches
• Loss of appetite

Why is this disease important:

Chicken pox as a disease is very contagious and can spread very easily. Especially among adults the disease can lead to severe illness and possible complications. The disease has been viewed as benign in the past even giving rise to “Pox Parties” where infected children would spread the disease to others on purpose to build up immunity however not only is this more dangerous it can also lead to complications.

Vaccine

The Varicella vaccine is now normally given to children at 12 to 15 months old with a booster 3 months later. The vaccine is shown to be very effective at preventing cases (98%) and even more effective at preventing severe cases (100%) according to the government of Canada.

References