Chicken Pox

Chicken Pox is acute virus disease affecting children aged from 6 months to 7 years. In adults this disease occurs rarely. The source of infection is a diseased person that constitutes a danger from the end of incubation period till crust falling-off. Chicken pox agent belongs to herpes virus group and spreads via airborne.

Symptoms and course
Incubation period in average lasts 13-17 days. The disease starts with high temperature and appearing of rash on different parts of the body. At the beginning these are red spots having 2-4 mm in diameter which during several hours become pimples and then vesicles – blisters filled with clear fluid surrounded by aureole of blushes. At the spots of burst vesicles appear dark red and brown crusts which fall away in 2-3 weeks.

On some skin areas you may find spots, vesicles, pimples and crusts all together. On mucus membrane of respiratory tracts (throat, gorge, trachea) may appear enanthema - these are blisters which quickly turn into sores with yellow and grayish bottom surrounded by red line. Period of fever lasts 2-5 days. The course of the disease generally is good, but there can occur severe forms and complications: encephalitis, myocarditis, pneumonia, catarrhal croup and different forms of pyoderma.

Recognition
Is made on the basis of typical rhythm of rash development. Laboratory analysis allow to detect virus with the help of optical microscope and immunofluorescence method.

Treatment
There is no specific and etiotropic treatment for chicken pox. It is recommended to stay in the bed and to keep hands clean. Rash elements you should smear with 5% potassium permanganat solution or with  1% brilliant green solution. When patients has a severe form of chicken pox, then may be injected immunoglobulin. In case of festering complications (apostem, etc) antibiotics are prescribed.

Preventive measures
The best thing to do is to isolate the diseased person. Children who were in contact with diseased person should stay at home from school and children's institutions for 21 days. Weak children who never were diseased with chicken pox, should get immunoglobulin injections in order to prevent chicken pox.