Chickenpox
Chickenpox used to be practically a childhood rite. You'd sleep on the couch, lie about not scratching your spots, get an oatmeal bath—it was a whole thing - Sara Chodosh
image by: Melissa Mierop
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What Happened To Chickenpox?
So, what happened to chickenpox?
For most people over the age of 12, they can recall the details of when they came down with chickenpox. Whether they missed a birthday party or were placed in a room with their siblings or sat in oatmeal baths for hours, it was a memorable experience.
For many, the symptoms were just an itchy rash and fever that subsided after a few days. But, for a minority of others, the virus was more serious.
“That’s true, chicken pox can be mild, but it can also have quite a few complications,” says Cynthia Kenyon, an epidemiologist who heads up the Vaccine Preventable Disease Surveillance Unit at the Minnesota Department of Health.
Complications,…
Resources
C.D.C. Internal Report Calls Delta Variant as Contagious as Chickenpox
The Delta variant is more transmissible than the viruses that cause MERS, SARS, Ebola, the common cold, the seasonal flu and smallpox, and it is as contagious as chickenpox...
Decline Of Chickenpox A Problem For Millennials?
The year I turned 30 years old, something very bizarre happened: I broke out in shingles. That's a disease we normally associate with old people. What was going on? Why does the virus get reactivated? That's not entirely clear. Age, stress, and becoming immunocompromised play a role. But there's another possible explanation: Chickenpox vaccines.
The chickenpox party is over as scientists call for UK vaccine rollout
It is time to end chickenpox parties in the UK. That is the uncompromising view of a group of scientists who believe an immunisation programme should be launched to bring an end to social events where young children are deliberately cross-infected with the chickenpox virus.
What I Learned From Getting Chickenpox as an Adult
They itched incessantly, but even worse, every red dot sent a sharp, shooting pain into the muscle and bone beneath it. Each bump felt deeply tethered to the layers of flesh below, like a plant to its roots. This was nerve pain, the emergency room doctor explained, a signature symptom of varicella zoster, the virus that causes chickenpox.
Why Chickenpox Parties Are A Bad Idea
Let's not get this party started. If you are thinking of attending or holding a chickenpox party, don't.
Everything you need to know about chickenpox and why more countries don’t use the vaccine
For the majority of children, chickenpox is just a rather unpleasant illness and a nuisance for their parents who have to take time off work to look after them. Most people develop the illness in childhood, but for those who don’t, the illness is far more severe among adults. It is especially dangerous, and may even be fatal, if contracted in late pregnancy.
A More Effective Way to Fight Chicken Pox
A vaccine for chicken pox has been available since 1996 but there have been concerns over its efficacy. Some parents even organize "chicken pox parties" to infect their children the "natural" way.
Adult Chicken Pox: How Is Barbara Walters' Condition Different From Shingles?
If an adult gets chicken pox, it's because he or she had never been infected with it before, according to Rizza. Or, in rarer cases, it's possible to get reinfected with the virus if the immune system is very weak.
Chicken Pox and Pregnancy
Chicken pox is a highly contagious viral infection that can be very serious. Fortunately, there are ways to protect you and your baby if you are threatened by chicken pox.
Chicken Pox Parties Through Facebook
I am all for chicken pox parties. Elke hasn't gotten her chicken pox vaccine yet. But the stupidity of passing infected chicken pox lollipops through the mail is terrifying. In fact, it makes me propelled to vaccinate her, like, immediately.
Chickenpox Deaths Plummet With Help Of Vaccine
Ever since the chickenpox vaccine became routine for kids back in 1995, deaths from the virus, also known as varicella, have been dropping. A study in the journal Pediatrics out today tells us just how steep that drop has been.
Philadelphia Study Examines Varicella and Herpes Zoster
Take home lessons: 1) Even the excellent protection afforded by the varicella vaccine may not be enough if exposures persist. 2) The shingles rash may be more than just an annoyance for the sufferer but also a potential source of infection for others. 3) Most cases of chickenpox are now so mild that you don’t have to worry about getting too sick. 4) That second dose of varicella vaccine does seem to prevent many cases of chickenpox.
Pox Populi
Like many social movements, anti-vaxxers—people who are against vaccinating children (or anyone) for various but invariably wrong reasons—cover a spectrum of people. Some are frauds. Some are hugely misguided but nevertheless grab the soapbox to make their false claims. Some are honest, questioning folks who just want to know what’s what, and get mislead by the first two groups.
When kids are vaccinated against chickenpox, they’re less likely to get shingles, too
Children who are vaccinated against the virus that causes chickenpox are getting a twofer: Not only are they protected against irritating and potentially scarring chickenpox, but they appear to have a “dramatically” lower risk of developing shingles in childhood than unvaccinated kids who contract the disease, according to a large, new multiyear study.
Why Chicken Pox Can Be So Dangerous
Anyone who has had chickenpox is at risk for developing shingles later in life--which means that nearly 90% of adults in the U.S are at risk for shingles. Shingles occurs, however, in only 10-20% of these adults over the course of their lives.
Why Vaccinate Adults Against Chickenpox?
The risk of hospitalization and death from chickenpox is increased in adults. Chickenpox may cause complications such as pneumonia or, rarely, an inflammation of the brain (encephalitis), both of which can be very serious. About 90% of unvaccinated household contacts of an infected person will catch chickenpox.
Ask a Scientist: How does the chickenpox virus work?
The chickenpox virus is an extremely interesting virus because it has two stages that happen with large time spans in between. It is truly interesting to see how these stages differ from one another and how the processes function that are associated with each.
Chickenpox Vaccine May Protect Against Shingles Years Later
Children vaccinated against chickenpox had a 78 percent lower rate of shingles than their unvaccinated peers.
Everything you need to know about chickenpox and why more countries don’t use the vaccine
For the majority of children, chickenpox is just a rather unpleasant illness and a nuisance for their parents who have to take time off work to look after them. Most people develop the illness in childhood, but for those who don’t, the illness is far more severe among adults. It is especially dangerous, and may even be fatal, if contracted in late pregnancy.
Family Doc Says No To Perilous Chickenpox Pops
While chickenpox is so contagious that it used to be a universal rite of childhood, we rarely see it anymore because we have an effective vaccine against it.
How I Almost Chickened Out of Chicken Pox
There was no such thing as a varicella vaccine when I was growing up. Getting the chicken pox was a fact of life, a rite of passage for everyone. Except for me.
Is Chickenpox Dangerous? Yes. Varicella-Zoster Virus Can Still Kill Kids.
The chicken pox once killed a hundred kids a year. The reason it doesn’t now is because more kids get the vaccine than the wild virus.
It’s not a good idea to just let your kids get chickenpox
Chickenpox is the classic childhood illness. Most kids get it at some point, and once you've had it you never get it again. And because of all that, you might think you should just expose your kids and get it over with. Here's the problem: the virus that causes chickenpox isn't totally innocuous.
Michiaki Takahashi, 85, Who Tamed Chickenpox, Dies
Dr. Takahashi developed his vaccine by growing live but weakened versions of the virus in animal and human cells. The vaccine did not cause the disease, but it prompted immune systems to produce antibodies.
The Chicken Pox Party: Parents Caught Infecting Kids With Virus
In an apparent effort to boost their kids' immunity against the chicken pox virus, some parents have resorted to having chicken pox parties or buying pox-tainted products. Now state health officials and prosecutors are cracking down on these parents who play "Russian roulette" with their children's health, since in the most severe cases the virus can be fatal.
The chickenpox vaccine keeps kids safe from more than just itchy red spots
Chickenpox used to be practically a childhood rite. You'd sleep on the couch, lie about not scratching your spots, get an oatmeal bath—it was a whole thing. But since the late '90s, it's been an experience that fewer and fewer American children go through. The invention of the chickenpox vaccine in the 1970s and its introduction as a routine immunization in 1995 has pushed cases down by more than 80 percent. And now, research suggests it's having a second beneficial effect: Fewer people are getting shingles.
What to Do if You Get Invited to a Chickenpox Party
Don’t go.
Why Do We Need Separate Chicken-Pox and Shingles Vaccines?
For most of the time that humans have walked on Earth and scratched at itchy, red rashes, there was no reason to think chicken pox and shingles are related. They look so different.
You Don't Want to Get Chickenpox as an Adult—Here's Why
It's not just folklore—adult chickenpox is worse. Chickenpox is one of those things you probably got as a kid—either spontaneously or after your parents deliberately exposed you at an early age. Why? Because chickenpox in adults is way worse—or, at least, that's what people say.
What Happened To Chickenpox?
Both the chickenpox virus and the chickenpox vaccine (a weakened form of the virus) can later develop into a shingles. But, according to Kenyon, research shows shingles occurs less often among vaccinated children than those who had the natural disease.
Vaccines.gov
While no vaccine is 100% effective in preventing disease, the chickenpox vaccine is very effective: about 8 to 9 out of every 10 people who are vaccinated are completely protected from chickenpox. In addition, the vaccine almost always prevents severe disease. If a vaccinated person does get chickenpox, it is usually a very mild case lasting only a few days and involving fewer skin blisters (usually less than 50), mild or no fever, and few other symptoms.
Pediatric EM Morsels
Fortunately, with the introduction of the successful vaccination program, the overall occurrence of primary varicella (chicken pox) has been reduced. While that is true, we still need to keep this condition on our radar.
Chicken Pox At 17
The 'diary' of a 17 year old blogger who annoyingly has Chicken Pox.
BrainPOP
What the heck is a chicken pox anyway? In this BrainPOP movie, Tim and Moby introduce you to this classic childhood illness, explaining who gets it, and why that number is shrinking.
CDC
Chickenpox is a very contagious disease caused by the varicella-zoster virus (VZV). It causes a blister-like rash, itching, tiredness, and fever. Chickenpox can be serious, especially in babies, adults, and people with weakened immune systems. It spreads easily from infected people to others who have never had chickenpox or received the chickenpox vaccine. Chickenpox spreads in the air through coughing or sneezing. It can also be spread by touching or breathing in the virus particles that come from chickenpox blisters.
BabyCenter
For healthy babies, chicken pox is usually more of a nuisance than a real threat. On rare occasions, though, even healthy children can develop serious complications from chicken pox, like a bacterial skin infection, pneumonia, or encephalitis, a swelling of the brain.
KidsHealth
A hallmark of chickenpox is that all stages (red bumps, blisters, and scabs) can appear on the body at the same time. The rash may be more extensive or severe in kids who have skin disorders like eczema, or weak immune systems. Young kids tend to have a mild illness with fewer blisters than older children or adults.
MayoClinic
Chickenpox, which is caused by the varicella-zoster virus, is highly contagious, and it can spread quickly. The virus is transmitted by direct contact with the rash or by droplets dispersed into the air by coughing or sneezing.
MedicineNet
In unimmunized populations, most people contract chickenpox by age 15, the majority between ages 5 and 9, but all ages can contract it. Chickenpox is usually more severe in adults and very young infants than children. Winter and spring are the most common times of the year for chickenpox to occur.
MedlinePlus
Chickenpox is usually mild and lasts 5 to 10 days. Calamine lotions and oatmeal baths can help with itching. Acetaminophen can treat the fever. Do not use aspirin for chickenpox; that combination can cause Reye syndrome. Chickenpox can sometimes cause serious problems. Adults, babies, teenagers, pregnant women, and those with weak immune systems tend to get sicker from it. They may need to take antiviral medicines.
NHS
Chickenpox is most common in children under the age of 10. In fact, chickenpox is so common in childhood that over 90% of adults are immune to the condition because they've had it before.
Patient
Chickenpox is a highly infectious disease caused by the varicella-zoster virus. It is a DNA virus of the Herpesviridae family. Reactivation of the dormant virus after a bout of chickenpox leads to herpes zoster (shingles). Most chickenpox is mild to moderate and self-limiting but serious complications can occur in both the immunocompetent and the immunocompromised. It is a notifiable disease in Scotland and Northern Ireland but not in England.
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