Chickenpox is a highly contagious disease caused by the varicella-zoster virus. It is spread easily by sneezing, coughing or skin contact, and an infected person might be contagious one to two days prior to symptoms and four to five days after, notes the Immunization Action Coalition. Symptoms normally present in about 14 to 16 days. Vaccinations against chickenpox have been available since 1988 with mild side effects.
Identification
Chickenpox normally lasts five to 10 days. Symptoms can include fever, loss of appetite, headache and a rash that presents as small pustules. The rash usually appears on the scalp and body first, spreading to the legs, arms and face. There might be as many as 500 blisters.
Types
Two types of injections exist for the delivery of the varicella vaccine. The first is a single injection of the chickenpox vaccine, which typically is accompanied by a separate combined vaccine for mumps, measles and rubella. A second option is available as a single injection of the varicella vaccine combined with the mumps, measles and rubella vaccine. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warns that the mixed injection has a higher incidence of fever, and febrile convulsions are twice as likely.
Side Effects
Although the vaccine is manufactured from a weakened virus, the Immunization Vaccine Coalition report 1 percent of those vaccinated have mild cases of chickenpox that can include some blisters but rarely fever. Injection site side effects appear in 19 percent of children and 24 percent of adults, and include mild stiffness, soreness and redness. Rarely has a case of shingles, or herpes zoster, developed from receiving the varicella-zoster vaccine.
Misconceptions
One school of thought not supported by the CDC is allowing children to become naturally infected by exposure to other infected children. The side effects of allowing the disease to proceed along its natural course include scarring from the blisters, possible fatal staph infection from scratching the blisters, infecting the fetus of a pregnant woman and causing possible fetal abnormalities, complications such as arthritis and hepatitis, and fatality in less than 1 out of 100,000 incidents.
Prevention/Solution
The CDC recommends children under the age of 13 be vaccinated. The vaccine is administered in two doses, the first between 12 and 15 months and the second between 4 and 6 years of age. A person over 13 may receive the vaccine four to six weeks apart if he has never had the disease. A blood test might be done to determine if an adult is immune prior to receiving the vaccine.
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