COMMUNITIES

Health Bulletin: Varicella (Chicken Pox)

Maria Cristina L. Santiago, M.D., Coordinator, Health Services

Posted Thursday, 09-Mar-2006 10:01 AM

CHICKEN POX is a highly contagious illness that is common in children.  A person usually has only one episode in his/her lifetime.  The virus that causes it can lie dormant within the body and can cause a different type of skin eruption later in life called  shingles.  Although it's more common in kids under the age of 15, anyone can get chickenpox.

ETIOLOGY

• VARICELLA virus ( member of the herpes virus family )

EPIDEMIOLOGY

• humans are the only source of infection

• may occur in any age,  including the neonate, with peak between 5 to 10 years old

MODE OF TRANSMISSION

• person to person, by direct contact with a patient who sheds the virus

• droplet or air-borne spread of fluid / secretions from patients with the infection

PERIOD OF COMMUNICABILITY

• contagious 5 days before and 5 days after the appearance of the blisters and all skin lesions have become crusted or until new blisters have stopped appearing

INCUBATION PERIOD

• 10 – 21 days ( mean of 14 days )

SIGNS & SYMPTOMS

• FEVER:        mild, sudden in onset

• RASH:        reddish, very itchy skin lesions which later become blisters on the 3rd to 4th day of the fever

generalized, starts from the trunk and then spreads to the other parts of the body

rapid progression so that transition is completed in 6 to 8 hours

• WEAKNESS

• MUSCLE AND JOINT PAINS

TREATMENT

• treatment mostly consist of easing the symptoms, the rashes will disappear in 1-2 weeks time even without treatment

• ANTI-FEVER       

• ANTI-VIRAL ( consult attending medical physician )

• limited window of opportunity to affect outcome of the infection

• it is not recommended for routine use in otherwise healthy children with varicellla

• administration within 24 hours of the onset of the rash results in only a modest decrease in symptoms

• ORAL ACYCLOVIR should be considered on otherwise healthy patients at increased risk of moderate to severe infections:

• older than 12 yeas of age

• patients with long standing skin or lung diseases

• patients receiving short, intermittent, oral or inhaled steroids

PREVENTION & CONTROL

• isolate known cases

• avoid crowded areas

• immunization

ISOLATION OF PATIENT

• minimum of 5 days after the onset of the rash and as long as the rash remains vesicular ( blister-like )

• they should stay at home while they are infectious

* Suspected cases of chicken pox should be isolated in order to contain the spread of the illness.  The attending

medical physician should be made aware of the patient’s condition and a medical clearance should be issued prior to  his / her return to work or school

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