What is Chicken pox / चिकन पक्स के हो ?

# Chicken pox (ठेउला) :

Chocken pox / ठेउला 

Chicken pox is acute highly infectious disease. It is caused by Vericella-zoster virus (VZV).

It is more severe in adult than in children.

Chicken pox 

Causative agent: Vericella-zoster virus (Alpha human herpe type 3 DNA)

Period of communicability: 2 days before rash to 4-5 days after rash appearance

Secondary attack rate (SAR): >90 %

Incubation period: 14-16 days

Common age group: <10 years

Mode of transmission:

• by droplet infection or droplet nuclei
• Face to face contact
• transplacental transmission is also possible in few cases

mode of transmission 

Clinical features:

the course of clinical features of chickenpox is divided into two stage

Early manifestation 

A Pre-eruptive stage:

Onset with mild or moderate fever, pain in back followed by shivering and malaise which is lasting about 24 hour.

B Eruptive stage: 

Rash

• Symmetrical
• Intensively pruritic
• Appear 1st on trunk-face-hand-legs
• Does not affect palm & sole
• Centripetal rash

Rash evolution

• Macule-papule-vesicle-scab

•Pleomorphic rash (all types of rash appear)

•Dew drop rash on rose petal appearance 

Complications:

• most common complication is secondary bacterial infection.
• CNS: Cerebellum ataxia, Reye's syndrome.
• Most common in neonate, adults or immuno-comprised patients is Vericella pneumonia.
• Perinatal vericella: mortality highest 5 days before & 2 days after delivery 
• Congenital vericella: limb hyperplasia & microcephaly
• Most common late complications: Singles (जनई खटिरा)

Singles

Treatment:

• Supportive & symptomatic
• Oral Acyclovir 800 mg 5 times a days for 5 days
• Pruritic: application of calamine lotion.

Prevention:

• Isolation for 6 days
• V-Z immunoglobulin 12.5 mg/kg within 3-4 days.
• Pre-exposure OKA vaccination 

To know more about Chicken pox, watch the following video: