An Overview of Chicken Pox – The Symptoms of Chicken Pox, Its Vaccine and Treatment

Chicken pox, a common disease caused by the varicella-zoster virus (VZV). It is part of the herpesvirus family of viruses, a large group containing more than 70 members, which includes the herpes simplex virus. VSV is an airborne virus, which can be spread in the air through coughing and sneezing, or from direct contact with the fluid that seeps from the blisters.

The name chicken pox stems from the Latin cicer, which means chickpea, since it was thought that the red spots 5-10 mm in width resembled chickpeas.  The chickenpox virus is highly contagious, and it is estimated that someone who has never previously contracted it has around an 80-90% of catching it if they come into contact with someone who is infected. It is most common in children under 15 and most people will have one bout of within their lifetime.

Chicken Pox Symptoms

The symptoms of chicken pox can include:

• A red, itchy rash on the skin
• Fever
• Abdominal Pain
• Nauseousness

The rash normally appears first on the abdomen or back and face, before spreading across the whole body. It begins as small red pimples, which look like insect bites, before developing into blisters filled with clear fluid. The outbreak of blisters can last from 2-4 days and can vary considerably in number from patient to patient. Some children only develop a few, whereas others can be covered in hundreds. The itchiness can be excruciating and the child will temped to scratch them.

The fluid within the blisters eventually bursts leaving open sores, which crust over and form scabs. Some children also experience a fever, abdominal pain and nauseousness a day or two before the rash appears. This may last for a couple of days.

Chicken Pox Vaccine and Treatment

Since 1995 a chicken pox vaccine has been developed, called the varicella vaccine. This can be given to children over the age of 12 months and is 95% effective in preventing moderate to severe outbreaks of the disease. Where the disease does develop after vaccination, the symptoms are usually very mild.

For those who have not been vaccinated and who subsequentally contract the disease, antibiotics will not be prescribed as a treatment for chicken pox. Children over the age of 12 may be given Acyclovir, which is an antiviral medicine. This can reduce the severity of the symptoms if it is administered within 24 hours of the rash appearing. For children under 12 calamine lotion can be applied to itchy areas, although not the face. Under no circumstances should aspirin be given to a child with chickenpox, since this can cause Reye syndrome, which is potentially lethal.