Chickenpox by Bhangu, Abhideep

1) Chickenpox

abhangu1 — 2023-11-24 01:20:53 UTC

2) what is chickenpox?

abhangu1 — 2023-11-24 01:25:52 UTC

Chickenpox is an incredibly contagious viral disease caused by the varicella-zoster virus. Varicella-zoster virus is also known as human herpes virus 3, it's one of the nine other herpes viruses that can infect human beings. It causes an itchy, blister-like rash that starts off in one area then slowly spreads over the entire body.

More Information: https://www.cdc.gov/chickenpox/about/index.html

3) Causative agent?

abhangu1 — 2023-11-24 01:40:19 UTC

Varicella-Zoster Virus (VZV). This is a DNA virus that belongs to one of the nine herpes virus. After the first infection, the VZV stays in the body in the sensory nerve ganglia, as a latent infection. Latent infections stay hidden in your body, showing no symptoms. VZV also causes the shingles. Someone can get only get shingles is if they had chickenpox first.

4) Symptoms/Signs/Complications

abhangu1 — 2023-11-24 01:51:47 UTC

Chickenpox usually lasts from 4-7 days. It starts off as a rash that turns into fluid filled blisters, which eventually turn into scabs. Typical symptoms before the rashes appear are:

fever
tiredness/fatigue
loss of appetite
headache

Even those who are vaccinated against chickenpox, can still get the viral disease through someone who may have it. However, their symptoms would be mild compared to those who don't have their vaccination.

Some serious complications that can arise from chickenpox are:

bacterial infections of soft tissue and skin
infection of the lungs (also known as pneumonia)
infection or swelling of the brain (encephalitis, cerebellar ataxia)
bleeding complications (such as hemorrhagic problems)
dehydration
blood steam infections (sepsis)

If anybody has any of these signs while having chickenpox, they must be hospitalized as soon as possible. Due to the vaccination, death is very rare. But to those who haven't been vaccinated for this disease, death may occur.

5) emerging threats or successes

abhangu1 — 2023-11-24 02:20:11 UTC

Pubmed cite- "Varicella incidence per 100,000 population"

These are from states that reported varicella cases to CDC before administering the varicella vaccination program.

Overall, Varicella declined by 97.4% from 1993-1995 to 2013-2014 range. This virus was responsible for more than 4 million infections in the US. In 1970s, Michiaki Takahashi along with his colleagues discovered a vaccine in Japan which is now used worldwide.

More information: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29173081/

6) weigh the risks:

abhangu1 — 2023-11-24 02:24:35 UTC

7) Featured Scientist

abhangu1 — 2023-11-24 02:32:17 UTC

Jana Shaw, MD; "earned her MD from Masaryk University, MPH from John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and MS in immunology from Weizmann Institute of Science." (https://www.upstate.edu/healthcare/providers/doctor.php?docID=shawja#:~:text=She%20earned%20her%20MD%20from,infectious%20disease%20fellowship%20at%20Johns ) From there she earned her residency in pediatrics from SUNY Stony Brook!

8) Learn more

abhangu1 — 2023-11-24 02:36:52 UTC

9) Prevention/Treatment

abhangu1 — 2023-11-24 02:50:27 UTC

The best way to prevent getting the chickenpox is to be vaccinated!

Ever since the Varicella Vaccination program has begun, there has been a decrease of 97% of chickenpox cases.

At home treatments:

Calamine lotion
Cool bath with baking soda
Uncooked oatmeal (to help with the itching)
try keeping fingernails short to minimize scratching
wash your hands for at least 20 seconds with warm water and soap

Over-the-counter medications:

Do not use aspirin or aspirin containing medication! (usage of aspirin while having chickenpox causes Reyes syndrome which affects liver and brain)
Avoid using ibuprofen as well (associated with severe bacterial skin infections)
Stick to acetaminophen to relieve fever

There are antiviral medications that can be prescribed from a doctor. But it's recommended for people who may have serious complications, such as:

people with chronic lung or skin disease
people receiving long term steroid therapy or salicylate therapy
people who are pregnant
people with a weakened immune system

10) Fun fact

abhangu1 — 2023-11-24 03:02:36 UTC

Varicella-Zoster's genome is a double stranded DNA whereas, COVID and Influenza are single stranded.
The two-dose vaccination offers more than 90% protection from Varicella-Zoster.
Although, chickenpox may go away after a week. Varicella-Zoster will still remain in your body since it is one of the nine herpes virus. Throughout your lifetime it may "awaken" or not.
Kids may develop Shingles after Chickenpox but the percentage increases drastically as they age past 50. So, the Shingles tend to affect older adults more.