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What is Chicken Pox?
Chicken pox, medically known as varicella, is a highly contagious disease. It affects mostly children and sometimes adults also. A rash appears on the body 2 days after the person gets infected. The rash forms into blisters, which burst and then scab over. The incubation period of chicken pox is 2 to 3 weeks. People are more prone to the disease during winter and spring season. Pregnant women, who are getting chicken pox for the first time, must seek medical assistance.
Chicken Pox Symptoms:
- Low-grade fever
- A mild headache
- Weakness
- Rash on the upper chest or back:
A rash appears on the skin on the first day of the disease. This is in the form of tiny red spots on the skin, mostly on the upper back or chest. In more severe cases, a rash may appear on the face and lower extremities. The papules turn into blisters and finally become pustules and form scabs, which fall off. They come in successive crops, so that while some are drying, others are beginning to form. The skin clears after a few days.
Read further to explore chicken pox information…
Duration of the Disease:
The duration of this disease ranges from ten to twenty-one days. But, normally, it lasts for fourteen to seventeen days.
Shingles or herpes zoster - A serious condition:
Many researchers believe that the disease is closely related to a much more serious condition known as shingles or herpes zoster that affects adults.
Common Causes of Chicken Pox:
- Herpes Zoster Virus
- Contact with broken chickenpox blisters
- Inhaling airborne droplets
- Poor immune system
- Persistent wrong feeding of children:
The basic cause of the disease, as in most cases of childhood fevers, is however, persistent wrong feeding of children, which results in diminished defence mechanisms of the body.
