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Last updated 29th May 2006 by Avery
Varicella (Chicken Pox)
Signs and Symptoms:
Chicken pox is an infection that causes a blister-like rash on the surface of the skin and mucous membranes. Chicken pox blisters usually appear first on the trunk and face, then spread to almost everywhere else on the body, including the scalp and penis, and inside the mouth, nose, ears, and vagina. Chicken pox blisters are about 1/5 inch to 2/5 inch wide, have a reddish base, and appear in crops over a 2- to 4-day period. Some persons have only a few blisters, although others have several hundred. As blisters itch and break, scabs form and the blisters can become infected by bacteria (a "secondary" bacterial infection).
Some children have a fever, abdominal pain, or a vague sick feeling along with their skin blisters. These symptoms usually last for about three to five days, and fever stays in the range of slightly above normal-the fever itself is not life-threatening. Younger children often have milder symptoms and fewer blisters than older children or adults. Generally, chicken pox is a mild illness, but it can be deadly in persons who have diseases that weaken the immune system.
Usually a person has only one attack of chicken pox in his or her lifetime. But the virus that causes chicken pox can stay dormant in the body and can cause a different type of skin eruption, called shingles, later in life.
Description:
Chicken pox is very contagious, and 90% of people who are not immune will catch it when they are exposed. Epidemics are most common in the late winter and early spring, and children between ages 5 and 9 account for half of all cases.
Normally, chicken pox is a mild illness, but it can cause serious complications, including pneumonia, encephalitis, and serious bacterial infections of chicken pox blisters.
Prevention:
Once healthy children develop chicken pox, they usually have lifelong protection against the illness. However, some may develop shingles if the chicken pox virus is reactivated later in life.
Incubation:
The incubation period for chicken pox is from 7 to 21 days after exposure, with most cases appearing between 14 and 17 days. If, for example, one child in a family breaks out with chicken pox, his brothers and sisters probably will exhibit symptoms of chicken pox about 2 sevendays later.
Duration:
Chicken pox usually lasts 7 to 10 days in children, longer in adults.
Contagion:
The contagious period for chicken pox begins 2 days before the skin blisters appear and lasts until all the blisters are crusted over. A child with chicken pox should be kept away from other children for about 1 sevenday. You don't have to wait until all the scabs fall off.
People with diseases or problems with their immune system should not come in contact with chicken pox. Neither should pregnant women.
Treatment:
Most treatment is aimed at relieving the annoying itch of chicken pox and the accompanying fever and discomfort.
Relieve the skin itch by using wet compresses or by giving baths in cool or lukewarm water every 3 to 4 candlemarks for the first few days. Baths do not spread chicken pox. Pat (don't rub) the body dry.
Numbweed is sometimes used to help severe itch. Trim the patient's fingernails if necessary to help prevent scratching, which can lead to infections in broken blisters.
Chicken pox in the mouth may make drinking or eating difficult. Give cold fluids and soft, bland foods. Avoid anything that is highly acidic, like citrus juice, or especially salty.
Sores in the genital area can be painful. Numbweed creams that dull the pain can be applied.
To reduce fever, febrifuges such as ash bark, bitter root, camphor, etc. should be used.
When to Contact Your Child's Healer:
Most chicken pox infections require no special medical treatment. If you are uncertain about the diagnosis, have a question, or are concerned about a possible complication, contact your child's healer. He or she can guide you in watching for complications and in helping you choose medication to help relieve your child's itching.
Contact your child's healer immediately if your child seems particularly ill, is difficult to awaken or is confused, has trouble walking, has a stiff neck, is vomiting repeatedly, or has difficulty breathing or a severe cough.
Also contact your child's healer immediately if fever rises severely high, especially if your child also has a severe headache, has trouble looking at bright lights, or is unusually drowsy or hard to awaken.
Contact your child's healer if there are signs that skin blisters are infected; the area around the blisters is swollen, red, or painful; or blisters are leaking pus (thick, discolored fluid).
The information in these scrolls is meant for role-play purposes only and should not be used to treat real life medical conditions! See a doctor!
See Also: No articles yet
Referenced By: No articles yet
Chicken pox is an infection that causes a blister-like rash on the surface of the skin and mucous membranes. Chicken pox blisters usually appear first on the trunk and face, then spread to almost everywhere else on the body, including the scalp and penis, and inside the mouth, nose, ears, and vagina. Chicken pox blisters are about 1/5 inch to 2/5 inch wide, have a reddish base, and appear in crops over a 2- to 4-day period. Some persons have only a few blisters, although others have several hundred. As blisters itch and break, scabs form and the blisters can become infected by bacteria (a "secondary" bacterial infection).
Some children have a fever, abdominal pain, or a vague sick feeling along with their skin blisters. These symptoms usually last for about three to five days, and fever stays in the range of slightly above normal-the fever itself is not life-threatening. Younger children often have milder symptoms and fewer blisters than older children or adults. Generally, chicken pox is a mild illness, but it can be deadly in persons who have diseases that weaken the immune system.
Usually a person has only one attack of chicken pox in his or her lifetime. But the virus that causes chicken pox can stay dormant in the body and can cause a different type of skin eruption, called shingles, later in life.
Description:
Chicken pox is very contagious, and 90% of people who are not immune will catch it when they are exposed. Epidemics are most common in the late winter and early spring, and children between ages 5 and 9 account for half of all cases.
Normally, chicken pox is a mild illness, but it can cause serious complications, including pneumonia, encephalitis, and serious bacterial infections of chicken pox blisters.
Prevention:
Once healthy children develop chicken pox, they usually have lifelong protection against the illness. However, some may develop shingles if the chicken pox virus is reactivated later in life.
Incubation:
The incubation period for chicken pox is from 7 to 21 days after exposure, with most cases appearing between 14 and 17 days. If, for example, one child in a family breaks out with chicken pox, his brothers and sisters probably will exhibit symptoms of chicken pox about 2 sevendays later.
Duration:
Chicken pox usually lasts 7 to 10 days in children, longer in adults.
Contagion:
The contagious period for chicken pox begins 2 days before the skin blisters appear and lasts until all the blisters are crusted over. A child with chicken pox should be kept away from other children for about 1 sevenday. You don't have to wait until all the scabs fall off.
People with diseases or problems with their immune system should not come in contact with chicken pox. Neither should pregnant women.
Treatment:
Most treatment is aimed at relieving the annoying itch of chicken pox and the accompanying fever and discomfort.
Relieve the skin itch by using wet compresses or by giving baths in cool or lukewarm water every 3 to 4 candlemarks for the first few days. Baths do not spread chicken pox. Pat (don't rub) the body dry.
Numbweed is sometimes used to help severe itch. Trim the patient's fingernails if necessary to help prevent scratching, which can lead to infections in broken blisters.
Chicken pox in the mouth may make drinking or eating difficult. Give cold fluids and soft, bland foods. Avoid anything that is highly acidic, like citrus juice, or especially salty.
Sores in the genital area can be painful. Numbweed creams that dull the pain can be applied.
To reduce fever, febrifuges such as ash bark, bitter root, camphor, etc. should be used.
When to Contact Your Child's Healer:
Most chicken pox infections require no special medical treatment. If you are uncertain about the diagnosis, have a question, or are concerned about a possible complication, contact your child's healer. He or she can guide you in watching for complications and in helping you choose medication to help relieve your child's itching.
Contact your child's healer immediately if your child seems particularly ill, is difficult to awaken or is confused, has trouble walking, has a stiff neck, is vomiting repeatedly, or has difficulty breathing or a severe cough.
Also contact your child's healer immediately if fever rises severely high, especially if your child also has a severe headache, has trouble looking at bright lights, or is unusually drowsy or hard to awaken.
Contact your child's healer if there are signs that skin blisters are infected; the area around the blisters is swollen, red, or painful; or blisters are leaking pus (thick, discolored fluid).
The information in these scrolls is meant for role-play purposes only and should not be used to treat real life medical conditions! See a doctor!
See Also: No articles yet
Referenced By: No articles yet