The Varicella-Zoster Virus (VZV)
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What is the Varicella-zoster virus?
Varicella may not be a common term in every household but chickenpox on the other hand is always a worry of parents with children in elementary school. Chickenpox is caused by the Varicella-zoster virus (VZV). (Talaro) Chickenpox is a virus that causes an itchy rash that is contagious. Chickenpox is spread through airborne droplets or direct contact with the lesions created by chickenpox. Varicella is strictly a human disease and cannot be carried by animals or insects. There are several signs and symptoms that one may exhibit if they have chickenpox. Some of these symptoms include a red, itchy rash, the presence of a fever, one losing their appetite, and malaise or having a general feeling of being unwell. (Chickenpox) There are three phases that the rash caused by chickenpox will progress through. These stages include:
Raised pink or red bumps also known as papules. These spots will appear over several days at the beginning of the infection.
Fluid-filled blisters also known as vesicles. These spots will eventually break and leak fluids.
The last stage occurs when the spots crust over and scab. These scabs will cover the broken blisters and they will heal in several days. (Chickenpox) …show more content…
As previously stated, chickenpox is caused by the Varicella-zoster virus (VZV).
(Talaro) The Varicella-zoster virus is a DNA virus in the same group as the herpes virus. (Varicella) Latency is the main virulence property of Varicella. Human are the sole reservoir of the chickenpox and is spread through human-to-human contact. Chickenpox can be spread through the respiratory tract and conjunctiva. Respiratory transmission occurs through person-to-person when respiratory tract secretions are transferred from an infected individual to a healthy individual. Another form of transmission of Varicella is through respiratory contact of airborne droplets or inhaling aerosols.
(Varicella)
People that are at the most risk of contracting varicella can follow in several different categories. Anyone who has not had chickenpox in the past or if they have not been vaccinated for chickenpox are usually at the highest risk of contracting chickenpox because they don’t have the DNA strain to resist the virus. Working in or attending a childcare facility can increase one’s chances of contracting Varicella as well as living in the same household as children. (Chickenpox)
Just as with every other virus, bacteria, or fungus there can be complications while one is infected. One of the most common complications of a chickenpox infection is a bacterial infection. The bacterial infection can affect the skin, soft tissues, bones, joints, or the bloodstream (sepsis). (Chickenpox) Other complications of chickenpox include pneumonia, inflammation of the brain, toxic shock syndrome, and Reye’s syndrome. Reye’s syndrome occurs in people who take aspirin while having chickenpox. (Chickenpox) Some people have a higher risk of having complications while fighting the Varicella virus. Newborns or infants who have mothers that either never had chickenpox or the Varicella vaccine are at the highest risk of having complications. Adults and pregnant women who have never had chickenpox or a vaccine are also at a high risk of having complications. Immune system depressed individuals that are suffering from disease such as cancer or HIV, people who are on a steroid medication regiment for a different disease, and people taking medications that suppress the immune system are also at risk for having complications. (Chickenpox)
Shingles is the main disease that is associated with having the Varicella strain in your DNA. Shingles occurs when some of the virus remains in the infected individual’s nerve cells and is reactivated after a period of time has passed. Shingles creates a painful band of short-lived blisters. Shingles usually appears in older adults, as well as; in individuals with weakened immune systems. The main complication associated with Shingles is known as “postherpetic neuralgia”. Postherpetic neuralgia occurs when the pain of shingles last longer than the blisters associated with the virus. (Chickenpox)
Before chickenpox was differentiated as its own virus it was considered to be the same thing as measles and smallpox. A Persian scholar and physician named Muhammad ibn Zakariya Razi, first confirmed that smallpox and chickenpox were not the same as measles. At this time smallpox and chickenpox were still considered the same. The first physician to differentiate chickenpox from Scarlet Fever was Giovanni Filippo. According to many historians, Filippo was the first physician to identify and describe chickenpox as a disease of its own. (Discovered)
Technology and modern medicine have come a long way since the first disease was recorded. Today, we have a vaccine that could prevent people from contracting many of the contagious diseases. The vaccine that helps prevent chickenpox is called Varivav and it is recommended for people 12 months and older. Children form 12 months to 12 years old are recommended to receive the measles-mumps-rubella-varicella vaccine known as ProQuad. Zostavax is a shingles vaccine suggested for individuals 60 years old and older. (Varicella) With today’s technology and the vaccinations available no child should have to experience chickenpox. I think parents should vaccinate their children in order to prevent as many of these outbreaks as possible. I chose this disease because I have personally experienced the chickenpox and from what I remember and was told it was not very fun. Even though I had received the vaccination against the Varicella virus, I contracted it while in the first grade of elementary school. As stated earlier, childcare facilities are prone to chickenpox outbreaks. I didn’t realize there were so many complications associated with a disease that is characterized by continuous itching and oatmeal baths before researching this disease. In conclusion, chickenpox is a sole human reservoir disease that affects many children every year. This virus is transmitted through the respiratory system and through direct contact of contagious lesions. The main outbreak of chickenpox in the United States occurs during the winter and early spring. This disease is highly contagious and many of the cases could be avoided with vaccinations.
Work Cited
Chickenpox. http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/chickenpox/basics/definition/con-20019025, Mar. 26, 2013.
Varicella. http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/pubs/pinkbook/varicella.html#epi, May 2012.
Who Discovered Chickenpox? http://discovery.yukozimo.com/who-discovered-chickenpox/, 2010.
Talaro, Kathleen Park, Chess, Barry. Foundations in Microbiology. Eighth edition. New York, NY. McGraw-Hill, 2012.
What is the Varicella-zoster virus?
Varicella may not be a common term in every household but chickenpox on the other hand is always a worry of parents with children in elementary school. Chickenpox is caused by the Varicella-zoster virus (VZV). (Talaro) Chickenpox is a virus that causes an itchy rash that is contagious. Chickenpox is spread through airborne droplets or direct contact with the lesions created by chickenpox. Varicella is strictly a human disease and cannot be carried by animals or insects. There are several signs and symptoms that one may exhibit if they have chickenpox. Some of these symptoms include a red, itchy rash, the presence of a fever, one losing their appetite, and malaise or having a general feeling of being unwell. (Chickenpox) There are three phases that the rash caused by chickenpox will progress through. These stages include:
Raised pink or red bumps also known as papules. These spots will appear over several days at the beginning of the infection.
Fluid-filled blisters also known as vesicles. These spots will eventually break and leak fluids.
The last stage occurs when the spots crust over and scab. These scabs will cover the broken blisters and they will heal in several days. (Chickenpox) …show more content…
As previously stated, chickenpox is caused by the Varicella-zoster virus (VZV).
(Talaro) The Varicella-zoster virus is a DNA virus in the same group as the herpes virus. (Varicella) Latency is the main virulence property of Varicella. Human are the sole reservoir of the chickenpox and is spread through human-to-human contact. Chickenpox can be spread through the respiratory tract and conjunctiva. Respiratory transmission occurs through person-to-person when respiratory tract secretions are transferred from an infected individual to a healthy individual. Another form of transmission of Varicella is through respiratory contact of airborne droplets or inhaling aerosols.
(Varicella)
People that are at the most risk of contracting varicella can follow in several different categories. Anyone who has not had chickenpox in the past or if they have not been vaccinated for chickenpox are usually at the highest risk of contracting chickenpox because they don’t have the DNA strain to resist the virus. Working in or attending a childcare facility can increase one’s chances of contracting Varicella as well as living in the same household as children. (Chickenpox)
Just as with every other virus, bacteria, or fungus there can be complications while one is infected. One of the most common complications of a chickenpox infection is a bacterial infection. The bacterial infection can affect the skin, soft tissues, bones, joints, or the bloodstream (sepsis). (Chickenpox) Other complications of chickenpox include pneumonia, inflammation of the brain, toxic shock syndrome, and Reye’s syndrome. Reye’s syndrome occurs in people who take aspirin while having chickenpox. (Chickenpox) Some people have a higher risk of having complications while fighting the Varicella virus. Newborns or infants who have mothers that either never had chickenpox or the Varicella vaccine are at the highest risk of having complications. Adults and pregnant women who have never had chickenpox or a vaccine are also at a high risk of having complications. Immune system depressed individuals that are suffering from disease such as cancer or HIV, people who are on a steroid medication regiment for a different disease, and people taking medications that suppress the immune system are also at risk for having complications. (Chickenpox)
Shingles is the main disease that is associated with having the Varicella strain in your DNA. Shingles occurs when some of the virus remains in the infected individual’s nerve cells and is reactivated after a period of time has passed. Shingles creates a painful band of short-lived blisters. Shingles usually appears in older adults, as well as; in individuals with weakened immune systems. The main complication associated with Shingles is known as “postherpetic neuralgia”. Postherpetic neuralgia occurs when the pain of shingles last longer than the blisters associated with the virus. (Chickenpox)
Before chickenpox was differentiated as its own virus it was considered to be the same thing as measles and smallpox. A Persian scholar and physician named Muhammad ibn Zakariya Razi, first confirmed that smallpox and chickenpox were not the same as measles. At this time smallpox and chickenpox were still considered the same. The first physician to differentiate chickenpox from Scarlet Fever was Giovanni Filippo. According to many historians, Filippo was the first physician to identify and describe chickenpox as a disease of its own. (Discovered)
Technology and modern medicine have come a long way since the first disease was recorded. Today, we have a vaccine that could prevent people from contracting many of the contagious diseases. The vaccine that helps prevent chickenpox is called Varivav and it is recommended for people 12 months and older. Children form 12 months to 12 years old are recommended to receive the measles-mumps-rubella-varicella vaccine known as ProQuad. Zostavax is a shingles vaccine suggested for individuals 60 years old and older. (Varicella) With today’s technology and the vaccinations available no child should have to experience chickenpox. I think parents should vaccinate their children in order to prevent as many of these outbreaks as possible. I chose this disease because I have personally experienced the chickenpox and from what I remember and was told it was not very fun. Even though I had received the vaccination against the Varicella virus, I contracted it while in the first grade of elementary school. As stated earlier, childcare facilities are prone to chickenpox outbreaks. I didn’t realize there were so many complications associated with a disease that is characterized by continuous itching and oatmeal baths before researching this disease. In conclusion, chickenpox is a sole human reservoir disease that affects many children every year. This virus is transmitted through the respiratory system and through direct contact of contagious lesions. The main outbreak of chickenpox in the United States occurs during the winter and early spring. This disease is highly contagious and many of the cases could be avoided with vaccinations.
Work Cited
Chickenpox. http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/chickenpox/basics/definition/con-20019025, Mar. 26, 2013.
Varicella. http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/pubs/pinkbook/varicella.html#epi, May 2012.
Who Discovered Chickenpox? http://discovery.yukozimo.com/who-discovered-chickenpox/, 2010.
Talaro, Kathleen Park, Chess, Barry. Foundations in Microbiology. Eighth edition. New York, NY. McGraw-Hill, 2012.