Chickenpox
Chickenpox is caused by infection with the herpes zoster virus, spread by droplet inhalation (which means it's carried in droplets of infected saliva produced by a cough or sneeze) from another infected person. About two weeks after infection, following a few days' malaise, there is the development of a blistering rash which usually starts in the scalp and spreads over the whole body. It may be intensely itchy: the blisters burst and crust, usually over a period of about 10 days. While this may be a mild illness in childhood it can be severe in adolescence, and worse in the adult where it is often complicated by the development of varicella pneumonia. Adolescents and adults may be considered for treatment using anti herpes medications such as Acyclovir. Since this is a disease which can cause damage to the foetus any woman who is exposed to chickenpox, and who has not had chickenpox herself, should be offered treatment with a specific immune globulin - called zoster immune globulin, ZIG - as should any high-risk patient, such as those who are immunosuppressed. Like the other herpes viruses (herpes simplex and Epstein-Barr) herpes zoster is with us for life and lives in the cells of the spinal cord. Many years after the first infection causing chickenpox, the virus crawls down the nerve from the spinal cord and erupts as a painful rash over part of the skin - commonly one side of the forehead. This is shingles, which is rare in childhood but does occur in adolescents.
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