Varicella Or Chickenpox

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Varicella or more commonly known as chickenpox is a vaccinatable disease. In the United States it has been vaccinatable since 1995. (Marin, 2011, para 1) Chickenpox usually affects children and teenagers, but any age can acquire the virus. Typically people will experience a fever and itchy rash that eventually fills with fluid and turns into a blister. (Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2016) Chickenpox can be very uncomfortable for the person who has been infected and can lead to scarring if they scratch the blisters. Reoccurrence of chickenpox is not common but can occur. Once you acquire chickenpox the virus stays dormant in the body and can come out as shingles later in life. Chickenpox is caused by the Varicella-zoster virus, the genus is Varicellovirus and the species is Humanherpes virus 3. (Merriam Webster Dictionary, 2016) On average the incubation period is 14 days but can range from 10-21 days. It is a very contagious disease that can be …show more content…

Although, there is a population that is at risk for more adverse effects of the disease. This group is comprised of those who are immunocompromised, infants, adolescents and pregnant women. Serious complications consist of bacterial infection of the skin, pneumonia, encephalitis, cerebellar ataxia, bleeding problems, sepsis, and dehydration. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the best way to prevent chickenpox is to get the vaccination. The vaccination for children consists of a routine two-dose schedule. The first dose is recommended at 12-15 months of age and is followed by the second administration between the ages of 4-6 years. The vaccination for chickenpox does not guarantee that you won't get the disease, but it greatly reduces the chances that you will. In the circumstance that a patient gets the vaccination, but still acquires disease, it will be a milder case. (CDC,

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