Varicella, which is also known as chickenpox is a contagious disease caused by the varicella-zoster virus. The virus spreads mainly from touching or breathing in the virus particles that come from varicella blisters and possibly through tiny droplets from infected people that get into the air after they breathe or talk. People who are at risk of developing varicella are infants, children, adolescents and adults. However, varicella is usually contracted in children. Even if someone has received the vaccination, they have a chance of still getting chicken pox. To prevent the virus from happening, a vaccination was created. Before the United States began giving the vaccination of chicken pox, it caused more than 100 deaths and more than 10,000
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Symptoms of varicella begin to appear after 10 to 21 days of exposure with a fever (World Health Organization). Some of the beginning symptoms include headache and loss of appetite. The most familiar symptom is a rash that becomes itchy, fluid filled blisters that will eventually turn into scabs. The rashes will first appear on the face, chest and back, then it will spread throughout the body. The rashes will go through different phases before recovering from the virus. The first phase is when there is developing of red or pink bumps all over the body. The second phase is when the bumps are filled with fluid that leaks. The last phase is when the bumps scab over and begin to heal. A person with varicella is still contagious until all the bumps have turned into scabs (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2016). The virus could be reactivated causing another infection called shingles, which occur in adults and could cause a painful rash. There are different ways in contracting the virus in multiple parts of the world because of environmental effects that influence the …show more content…
In the United States, varicella was a virus that was reported to the government. Since varicella is a contagious disease, it has a low mortality but exceptionally high morbidity with most unvaccinated children infected by the age of 15 in developed countries (Bakker, Martinez-Bakker, Helm, & Stevenson, 2016). In 1994, the Varicella Active Surveillance Project was established when national varicella surveillance was not available. This project was funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and was implemented by the Philadelphia Department of Public Health and the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services. This project occurred from 1995 to 2010. In 2010, the impact from the varicella vaccination program showed large declines in the number of varicella cases in surveillance sites that were no longer adequate for evaluating further impact of the program. The purpose of this program was to develop a reporting system to accurately define the baseline incidence an epidemiological profile of varicella disease prior to licensure and wide use of varicella vaccine and evaluate the demographic and clinical profiles of vaccinated and unvaccinated cases of varicella. The vaccine was introduced in the United States in 1995. There were originally 3 surveillance areas in Texas, California, and Pennsylvania but only California and Pennsylvania were the ones who participated the full term of
Symptoms of varicella begin to appear after 10 to 21 days of exposure with a fever (World Health Organization). Some of the beginning symptoms include headache and loss of appetite. The most familiar symptom is a rash that becomes itchy, fluid filled blisters that will eventually turn into scabs. The rashes will first appear on the face, chest and back, then it will spread throughout the body. The rashes will go through different phases before recovering from the virus. The first phase is when there is developing of red or pink bumps all over the body. The second phase is when the bumps are filled with fluid that leaks. The last phase is when the bumps scab over and begin to heal. A person with varicella is still contagious until all the bumps have turned into scabs (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2016). The virus could be reactivated causing another infection called shingles, which occur in adults and could cause a painful rash. There are different ways in contracting the virus in multiple parts of the world because of environmental effects that influence the …show more content…
In the United States, varicella was a virus that was reported to the government. Since varicella is a contagious disease, it has a low mortality but exceptionally high morbidity with most unvaccinated children infected by the age of 15 in developed countries (Bakker, Martinez-Bakker, Helm, & Stevenson, 2016). In 1994, the Varicella Active Surveillance Project was established when national varicella surveillance was not available. This project was funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and was implemented by the Philadelphia Department of Public Health and the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services. This project occurred from 1995 to 2010. In 2010, the impact from the varicella vaccination program showed large declines in the number of varicella cases in surveillance sites that were no longer adequate for evaluating further impact of the program. The purpose of this program was to develop a reporting system to accurately define the baseline incidence an epidemiological profile of varicella disease prior to licensure and wide use of varicella vaccine and evaluate the demographic and clinical profiles of vaccinated and unvaccinated cases of varicella. The vaccine was introduced in the United States in 1995. There were originally 3 surveillance areas in Texas, California, and Pennsylvania but only California and Pennsylvania were the ones who participated the full term of