Chickenpox is an acute communicable disease by a virus known as Herpes virus Varicella Zoster.

Chicken pox is very common in children. It occurs in both epidemic and endemic forms. This disease would appear mostly in the students of the schools.

The infection of this disease is spread by the droplets of the patient while breathing. Patients are most infective in the prodomal period when they have mouth lesions.

Incubation Period

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The incubation period is 7 to 21 days from exposure to appearance of symptoms.

Symptoms

1) In the beginning the patient suffers from fever.

2) Then the face grows red.

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(3) Rash appears on the whole of the body.

(4) Later on these red spots turn into watery blebs.

(5) The patient feels restlessness.

(6) The watery blebs dry up in a period of seven to ten days.

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(7) Rashes appear in different stages, first on the trunk, particularly the back and then spread to the face and limbs. The eruption is densest on the trunk and the upper parts of the limbs.

Red papules appear first which rapidly change to vesicles and pustules. Within five days the pustules dry up and form scabs, which quickly fall off.

Treatment

Treatment of Chickenpox is mainly concerned with the prevention of secondary infection of lesions. In children the fingernails should be cut short, and if itching is severe, gloves or splints should be applied.

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The itching may be alleviated by using a soothing lesion such as calamine with 1 percent phenoyal. If lesions are profuse, penicillin may be given to prevent secondary infection. Isolation is necessary till all the crusts have separated.