CHICKEN POX

Chicken pox is highly contagious disease, presenting with sudden onset of low fever, mild constitutional symptoms. It is caused by varicella zoster virus which belong to the family of herpevirus.The infection is transmitted by direct contact or indirectly through a third person. The crusts from chicken pox lesions do not contain viable virus and are therefore not infective. Period of infectivity ranges from a day prior to the illness and up to 5 days after the onset. Most cases are reported between the months of January and may.Infected tissues include thymus,spleen,lymph nodes,liver,skin,and lungs.The incubation period is usually between 14 to 16 days.Prodromal symptoms are minimal.These include mild fever,malaise and impaired appetite.The severity of the disease is generally more pronounced in adults.The rash may rarely become hemorrhagic and this disease is more severe in patients on suppressive drugs.Fetal infection may cause skin scarring, neurological and eye manifestations. Personal hygiene should be optimized to avoid this chicken pox and drugs like aspirin will reduce the risk of this disease.Oral acyclovir given to healthy children with varicella within24 hours of onset of rash reduces the duration of rash by 1 day.Infants under the age of 1 month ,pregnant women,patient with leukemia need this protection.The vaccine ,if given within 3 days of exposure ,may prevent the disease in more than 80 percent individuals.