Chicken Pox | Varicella

What is Varicella?

Varicella or "chickenpox" is a benign, self-limited, infection produced primarily by the varicella-zoster virus, a herpes virus. It infected near four million children each year only in the United Sates, causing more than four thousands hospitalizations per year and causing near one hundred deaths per year.

How a child can be infected with varicella?

The disease is produce by inhalation of virus infected respiratory secretions or by direct contact with skin lesions produced due to the virus.The child can get this virus simply by playing with other infected child in home, the school or kindergarten.

The ages that most frequently the infection occurs in infants are between three to six years old. An example of this, of all the reported cases ninety-five percent were children belonging to this age range, and only the five percent of the reported cases were in older children.

It can affect girls and boys without significant statistical differences.

The statistics says that between the months from August to October is the peak period of reported Varicella cases in children during a normal year.

What are the most frequent symptoms of chickenpox virus infection in a child?

During the late primary viremia:

Headache

Anorexia

Fever, usually can be very high

General malaise

During the secondary viremia:

Erupting lesions beginning first on the trunk and then spreading to other parts: scalp, arms and legs.

The first presentation of this skin lesion occurs a few days the general malaise and high fever appeared and the lesions begin as red maculae and then will become .

A general rash is presented that in occasions is very itchy.

The blister lesions also can occur into the mouth, especially, into the throat and tonsils.

Neonate chicken pox

Neonatal varicella is caused by maternal virus infection, leading to spread of the virus across the placenta.

Varicella during the first three months of pregnant can induce serious malformations to the fetus that could be shown as congenital malformation like abnormalities in the ocular structures and nervous system, limb atrophies and possible growth retardation.

Neonates born from infected women during five days before delivery or fewer than two days postpartum can be infected by the also dangerous Varicella Neonatorum; this is a disseminated manifestation of the virus in the baby that could cause severe and hemorrhagic lesions in the lungs and the liver, making this a potentially fatal disease.

What the mother can do to relief the symptoms of her baby?

Never use aspirin to down the fever; it could cause a severe condition named Reyes Syndrome, rather than aspirin she should use acetaminophen.

Give the child to drink sufficient liquids as she does when the baby has flu.

Keep the baby with his/her hands and feet covered with socks to prevent the infant to scratch his/her skin blisters.

Summary: The chicken pox is a very frequent disease in infants between the ages from three to six years old. Although this infection is regularly a benign and self-limited, it can get worse especially in inmunosupressed patients and in newborns.

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