Chicken Pox Research Paper
The Chicken Pox Virus: Knowledge and Manners of Control 1
Chicken Pox Virus and the Essential Logistics
Tamika Murray
Grand Canyon University
The Chicken Pox Virus: Knowledge and Manners of Control 2
Chickenpox is a communicable disease which mainly affects children, but the virus can also affect adults in more rare cases in today’s society. That is, the varicella-zoster virus which brings on chicken pox usually comes to children under the age of 12, and the virus is usually spread through contact at school or in extracurricular activities where there is close contact among children. The virus moves quickly into the body of children and also transmits very quickly to other children as a virus should. …show more content…
In that the point of a virus is to find the next host and continue to live, chicken pox follows the course by attacking children with flu like symptoms and splotches all over the body. Because the virus moves so quickly from child to child, exposed children are expected to stay at home to decrease the spread of the virus as much as possible.
Chicken pox is a virus which is characterized by an itchy rash of spots that look like blisters and the child will exhibit flu like symptoms.
The virus in children, “often starts with a fever, headache, sore throat, or stomachache. These symptoms may last for a few days, with fever in the 101°-102°F (38.3°-38.8°C) range.” (Lamprecht, 2010, p.1) That is, the fever quickly moves on to itchy spots as the virus moves along inside the body. The mode of transmission is close contact with other children, and the virus is not considered to be anything more than an incidence. In fact, children which are provided an immunization shit will be less prone to have the virus infect their body, and they are also a barrier for continued transmission since they cannot catch the …show more content…
virus.
The World Health Organization defines the determinants of health as the following: the social and economic environment, the physical environment, and
The Chicken Pox Virus: Knowledge and Manners of Control 3
The person’s individual characteristics and behaviors. (WHO, 2009, p.1)
Therefore, according to the determinants of health, chicken pox can be slowed and even stopped if the right environment exists. That is, if there are enough children in a specific environment who have been vaccinated then there is a barrier to slow the progress of the virus, and there will be less children infected. So a higher social or economic class would often be the right environment for most of these children typically have been vaccinated opposed to a poorer social class or economic environment where many children have parents that cannot afford the vaccination or are unaware of getting the vaccination against chicken pox for their children. Cultures and economic barriers therefore exist which can allow for the virus to spread quicker and easier if there are less children who have been vaccinated. If a culture is unaware of the vaccination or if there are issues with being able to afford the shot, then the children of these parents will be more open to contracting chicken pox. Thus, the determinants of health favor those in wealthier social and economic brackets while those families who have less resources or who are from a different culture may not have the ability or the knowledge to have their children vaccinated.
The epidemiologic triad as it pertains to the chicken pox virus can be said to be, that which combines the efforts of the host, the environment, and the agent. That is, “The triad consists of an external agent, a susceptible host, and an environment that brings the host and agent together.” (CDC, 2008, p.1) Therefore for the virus to continue to thrive and spread, the factors which are associated with the agent, the host, and the environment are important and essential for the continuation of the virus or the eradication. For example, if the agent (infected child) goes to school (environment) and there are a number of vaccinated children
The Chicken Pox Virus: Knowledge and Manners of Control 4
(host) then the virus will not be as effective and will be eradicated in that environment quickly. However, if in the same model an infected child goes to school where there are less children who are immunized because of the determinates of health logistics discussed earlier, then the agent will transmit the virus to the other hosts in the enclosed classroom environment more quickly and effectively. Thereof, the barriers which can be modified include keeping children out of school if they exhibit signs of the chicken pox virus, and to vaccinate as many children in society as possible to slow or stop the spread of the virus. The environment for the agent must be changed from school to home and this will also inhibit the virus from attacking and infecting other children. The community health ruse has a responsibility to not only let people know if the chicken pox virus is being spread, but also to educate the community as much as possible on the effects of chicken pox and the need to have children immunized so they won’t catch the virus and they will also serve as a barrier for transmission. The community nurse should be collecting data ion the amount of children who are not vaccinated, as well as the amount of children who are infected with the virus at any particular time.
Fortunately, in the United States we have a lower rate of chicken pox infection due to the vast amount of children who have been vaccinated and will not catch the virus while also serving as a barrier for continued transmission of the virus.
A school nurse has the personal reasonability to let parents know when the chicken pox virus is infecting children in the school, and the community nurse has the additional responsibility of keeping records on the amount of chicken pox infections per year as well as infections per area. This will allow the
The Chicken Pox Virus: Knowledge and Manners of Control 5 community to know the limits of the virus and how well the community is coming along to cease chicken pox from the children in the community.
There are a number of different community as well as federal agencies which list resources and assistance guides for people online as well as in pamphlet format. One of these would be the Center for Disease control which lists a vast amount of resources on their web site, the organization is a, “federal agency with a goal of protecting the health and safety of people in the US. In their "Health Topics A-Z" you 'll find a fact sheet on chickenpox covering everything from treatment to vaccination.” (CDC, 2010, p.1) They provide basic answers to questions as well as information on how to get immunized for the chicken pox virus, where to get the shot, how to get assistance if there are economic barriers, and the social cost of chicken
pox. The last issue is very important for the more children who are vaccinated, the less children that can serve as hosts and transmitters of the virus.
Overall, the more children who are immunized against the chicken pox virus, the more barriers and available hosts for future infections. A continuation of resources dedicated to spreading knowledge about the virus and the associated logistics of stopping the transmission as well as effects if a child if infected by the virus is essential. By continuing to spread knowledge and resources to those who do not know of the vaccination or cannot afford the short for other children, there are hopes of eradicating the virus in time or at least keeping the transmission as low as possible.
References
Chickenpox Resource Guide. (n.d.). & Organizations. Retrieved March 24, 2014, from http://www.thirdage.com/hc/c/chickenpox-resource-guide
Lamprecht, C. (2012, September 1). Chickenpox. KidsHealth - the Web 's most visited site about children 's health. Retrieved March 23, 2014, from http://kidshealth.org/parent/infections/ski
Principles of Epidemiology in Public Health Practice, 3rd Edition. (2012, May 18).Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved March 24, 2014, from http://www.cdc.gov/osels/scientific_edu/ss
The determinants of health. (n.d.). WHO. Retrieved March 23, 2014, from http://www.who.int/hia/evidence/doh/en/
Chicken Pox Virus and the Essential Logistics
Tamika Murray
Grand Canyon University
The Chicken Pox Virus: Knowledge and Manners of Control 2
Chickenpox is a communicable disease which mainly affects children, but the virus can also affect adults in more rare cases in today’s society. That is, the varicella-zoster virus which brings on chicken pox usually comes to children under the age of 12, and the virus is usually spread through contact at school or in extracurricular activities where there is close contact among children. The virus moves quickly into the body of children and also transmits very quickly to other children as a virus should. …show more content…
In that the point of a virus is to find the next host and continue to live, chicken pox follows the course by attacking children with flu like symptoms and splotches all over the body. Because the virus moves so quickly from child to child, exposed children are expected to stay at home to decrease the spread of the virus as much as possible.
Chicken pox is a virus which is characterized by an itchy rash of spots that look like blisters and the child will exhibit flu like symptoms.
The virus in children, “often starts with a fever, headache, sore throat, or stomachache. These symptoms may last for a few days, with fever in the 101°-102°F (38.3°-38.8°C) range.” (Lamprecht, 2010, p.1) That is, the fever quickly moves on to itchy spots as the virus moves along inside the body. The mode of transmission is close contact with other children, and the virus is not considered to be anything more than an incidence. In fact, children which are provided an immunization shit will be less prone to have the virus infect their body, and they are also a barrier for continued transmission since they cannot catch the …show more content…
virus.
The World Health Organization defines the determinants of health as the following: the social and economic environment, the physical environment, and
The Chicken Pox Virus: Knowledge and Manners of Control 3
The person’s individual characteristics and behaviors. (WHO, 2009, p.1)
Therefore, according to the determinants of health, chicken pox can be slowed and even stopped if the right environment exists. That is, if there are enough children in a specific environment who have been vaccinated then there is a barrier to slow the progress of the virus, and there will be less children infected. So a higher social or economic class would often be the right environment for most of these children typically have been vaccinated opposed to a poorer social class or economic environment where many children have parents that cannot afford the vaccination or are unaware of getting the vaccination against chicken pox for their children. Cultures and economic barriers therefore exist which can allow for the virus to spread quicker and easier if there are less children who have been vaccinated. If a culture is unaware of the vaccination or if there are issues with being able to afford the shot, then the children of these parents will be more open to contracting chicken pox. Thus, the determinants of health favor those in wealthier social and economic brackets while those families who have less resources or who are from a different culture may not have the ability or the knowledge to have their children vaccinated.
The epidemiologic triad as it pertains to the chicken pox virus can be said to be, that which combines the efforts of the host, the environment, and the agent. That is, “The triad consists of an external agent, a susceptible host, and an environment that brings the host and agent together.” (CDC, 2008, p.1) Therefore for the virus to continue to thrive and spread, the factors which are associated with the agent, the host, and the environment are important and essential for the continuation of the virus or the eradication. For example, if the agent (infected child) goes to school (environment) and there are a number of vaccinated children
The Chicken Pox Virus: Knowledge and Manners of Control 4
(host) then the virus will not be as effective and will be eradicated in that environment quickly. However, if in the same model an infected child goes to school where there are less children who are immunized because of the determinates of health logistics discussed earlier, then the agent will transmit the virus to the other hosts in the enclosed classroom environment more quickly and effectively. Thereof, the barriers which can be modified include keeping children out of school if they exhibit signs of the chicken pox virus, and to vaccinate as many children in society as possible to slow or stop the spread of the virus. The environment for the agent must be changed from school to home and this will also inhibit the virus from attacking and infecting other children. The community health ruse has a responsibility to not only let people know if the chicken pox virus is being spread, but also to educate the community as much as possible on the effects of chicken pox and the need to have children immunized so they won’t catch the virus and they will also serve as a barrier for transmission. The community nurse should be collecting data ion the amount of children who are not vaccinated, as well as the amount of children who are infected with the virus at any particular time.
Fortunately, in the United States we have a lower rate of chicken pox infection due to the vast amount of children who have been vaccinated and will not catch the virus while also serving as a barrier for continued transmission of the virus.
A school nurse has the personal reasonability to let parents know when the chicken pox virus is infecting children in the school, and the community nurse has the additional responsibility of keeping records on the amount of chicken pox infections per year as well as infections per area. This will allow the
The Chicken Pox Virus: Knowledge and Manners of Control 5 community to know the limits of the virus and how well the community is coming along to cease chicken pox from the children in the community.
There are a number of different community as well as federal agencies which list resources and assistance guides for people online as well as in pamphlet format. One of these would be the Center for Disease control which lists a vast amount of resources on their web site, the organization is a, “federal agency with a goal of protecting the health and safety of people in the US. In their "Health Topics A-Z" you 'll find a fact sheet on chickenpox covering everything from treatment to vaccination.” (CDC, 2010, p.1) They provide basic answers to questions as well as information on how to get immunized for the chicken pox virus, where to get the shot, how to get assistance if there are economic barriers, and the social cost of chicken
pox. The last issue is very important for the more children who are vaccinated, the less children that can serve as hosts and transmitters of the virus.
Overall, the more children who are immunized against the chicken pox virus, the more barriers and available hosts for future infections. A continuation of resources dedicated to spreading knowledge about the virus and the associated logistics of stopping the transmission as well as effects if a child if infected by the virus is essential. By continuing to spread knowledge and resources to those who do not know of the vaccination or cannot afford the short for other children, there are hopes of eradicating the virus in time or at least keeping the transmission as low as possible.
References
Chickenpox Resource Guide. (n.d.). & Organizations. Retrieved March 24, 2014, from http://www.thirdage.com/hc/c/chickenpox-resource-guide
Lamprecht, C. (2012, September 1). Chickenpox. KidsHealth - the Web 's most visited site about children 's health. Retrieved March 23, 2014, from http://kidshealth.org/parent/infections/ski
Principles of Epidemiology in Public Health Practice, 3rd Edition. (2012, May 18).Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved March 24, 2014, from http://www.cdc.gov/osels/scientific_edu/ss
The determinants of health. (n.d.). WHO. Retrieved March 23, 2014, from http://www.who.int/hia/evidence/doh/en/