The Virus Called Chickenpox
One of the airborne diseases common to children and even to adults is called chickenpox. It is a contagious skin disease that is brought by varicella zoster virus or VZV. VZV is one type of herpes virus that lives inside the human body that causes rashes and fever. Infected individuals develop symptoms that includes cough that is accompanied by runny nose and high body temperature. Itchy rashes that look like blisters can be seen all over the body of a person suffering from chickenpox. These symptoms usually last for almost a week until red spots occur and be seen on the body.
As a typical contagious skin disease, it can easily be transferred from one person to another by direct contact. If the patient sneezes or coughs, he can contaminate the air that flows freely inside the house and if inhaled by other family members, the virus can penetrates inside their system. Indirectly, viruses can be transferred simply by touching or using things that the patient used.
Chickenpox viruses don’t usually get active upon the initial transfer. It usually goes down the spine and lives on the nerve cells. It might also be re occurring even it healed. If triggered by stress or if the person has a weak immune system, then the virus can be re-activated and this usually happens in adults. Unborn child can also get infected through his mother.
If the mother has chickenpox during pregnancy, the virus can get into the baby through the placenta which is the connecting cord between the mother and the fetus. If the infection occurs on the early month of pregnancy, this can lead into having a congenital varicella syndrome. It can also result various inborn problems such as underdeveloped fingers and toes, malformation of the bladder and anus, and encephalitis. This can also lead into having neurological disorder, skin disease like hypo pigmentation, and damage on the sense organ of the baby.
Considered dangerous during the early times, chickenpox is now a lesser evil due to the development of vaccines that gives individual protection against it. One can have a chickenpox vaccine to prevent the occurrence of this skin disease by making the immunity stronger. But if you are unable to get this anti-virus and stated to have the symptoms, there are many available remedy for this disease.
For a faster first aid, having a regular bath will help you from the painful and uncomfortable itchy feeling. You can use oatmeal to give you the soothing effect. Calamine lotion can also help with the developing blisters on your body. This can be bought over-the-counter. Though doctors do not usually prescribe taking tablets due to some complications, taking antihistamine can also be an option. This will relieve you from the uncontrollable itchy feeling and it will also help you minimize the sneezing problem. To aid you from having a lesion and to help you with faster healing, you may also take anti-viral drug as this is also recommended to treat other skin diseases.