Chickenpox is a disease that produces a rash in the body, it is common for it to occur in childhood, however, there are cases where it occurs in adulthood. It is produced by the virus "varicella zoster" which is family of the " herpes zoster " or better known as shingles. It is clearly contagious, it is transmitted from person to person through respiratory secretions or with fluid from the vesicles of the skin lesions of the sick person.
The period of time where this virus is most contagious is one to three days before the rash appears until the vesicles disappear and the lesions are covered with scabs. The epidemic is normal in schools and nurseries. Once the virus enters the body, the incubation period takes approximately two weeks, in which the person develops a high fever and then the rash begins accompanied by intense itching that usually disappears in 7 to 10 days. When the lesions become infected by scratching they can leave permanent scars.
There are few times that this condition occurs more than once in the same person, it usually does not occur again, in case of coming into contact with the virus again, it develops as "herpes zoster" or shingles that a Despite having similar lesions, it is distributed over specific nerve territories, its most exact location being the path of the sciatic nerve (pelvis) or level of the face. However, when the person is subjected to certain stress, anxiety or disorders capable of weakening the immune system, the shingles virus can become activated again. The most common symptoms of chickenpox are:
- Fever.
- Pain head.
- Stomach ache.
- Rash between 10 and 21 days.
To diagnose this condition, medical attention must be precise, usually a routine check-up based on questions and the test on the vesicles, in addition to the laboratory tests, are enough to determine if you have this virus or not. When chickenpox is presented in adulthood, the symptoms tend to be more severe and are usually accompanied by local pneumonia that warrants hospitalization in intensive care since this can be fatal.
Chickenpox can be prevented through vaccination and days of the same. In the case of children, a single dose is sufficient, but in the case of those over 13 years of age there should be different doses for an interval of 4 to 8 weeks in between.
