Chickenpox a Communicable Disease
Cynthia Hahn
Grand Canyon University: NRS-427V July 5, 2015

Chickenpox is an infection caused by the highly contagious varicella-zoster virus. A common communicable disease which can be a harmless or deadly disease depending on the community which is affected. Education and healthcare prevention will prove evident in the control of the spread of the chickenpox disease. Chickenpox is an airborne disease which is spread by coughing and sneezing of an infected person or direct contact with skin lesions. The initial symptoms of chickenpox are a fever, fatigue, loss of appetite, headache and a sore throat. A red skin rash appears a few days after the initial symptoms and forms small, itchy blisters. “After a chickenpox red spot appears, it usually takes about 1 or 2 days for the spot to go through all its stages, this includes blistering, bursting, drying and crusting over. New red spots will appear every day for up to 5 to 7 days” (Chickenpox (Varicella)-Topic Overview, n.d.). The rash initially appears on the face, back and chest to quickly cover the body including mucous membranes such as the mouth, genital area or in the ears. These symptoms will begin ten to twenty-one days after exposure to a contagious person. The virus can be spread by a person who is infected with chickenpox before symptoms even appear and until all blisters have crusted over. Chickenpox is a common childhood disease, “more than 90% of cases occur in children younger than 10 years old” (Chickenpox: Background, Pathophysiology, Etiology, 2015). However, anyone who has never been vaccinated or has never received the chickenpox before including older children and adults can be susceptible to contracting the chickenpox. Chickenpox occurs worldwide and is widespread in most countries. Irregular outbreaks usually occur in the spring or winter months. In a healthy child, chickenpox is harmless. Most chickenpox infections occur in those children age five and under and immunity increases with age until adulthood. Chickenpox can be severe in babies, adults, and people with debilitated immune systems such as: “HIV / AIDS, cancer patients, patients who have received transplants, patients receiving chemotherapy or immunosuppressive medications or long-term steroid use” (Centers for Disease Control, 2014). Potential problems which may be exhibited from the chickenpox include: “dehydration, bleeding problems, infection or inflammation of the brain, bacterial infections of the skin and soft tissues in children including Group A streptococcal infections, sepsis, toxic shock syndrome, bone and joint infections” (CDC, 2014). People with serious complications from chickenpox may need to be hospitalized or death may even occur. The most effective and safest way of preventing one from getting the chickenpox is to receive the vaccination. Two doses of the vaccine are required for children, adolescents and adults. “Two doses of the vaccine are about 98% effective at preventing chickenpox” (CDC, 2014). Most vaccinated people will not get the chickenpox however, if one does acquire the chickenpox it is typically milder and with less blisters and mild or no fever. To help relieve the symptoms and prevent skin infections calamine lotion and oatmeal baths maybe used to help relieve some of the itching. Fingernails should be neatly trimmed and kept short as to help prevent skin contaminations caused by itching blisters. A non-aspirin, such as Tylenol may be used as a fever reducer. “The use of aspirin in children with chickenpox has been associated with Reye’s syndrome, a severe disease that affects the liver and brain and can cause death” (CDC, 2014). For people who are at risk for developing serious complications a physician should be contacted. Antiviral medications such as acyclovir is approved for treatment of chickenpox and maybe prescribed by the physician if deemed necessary.
By adulthood, almost everyone will get the chickenpox. That is “more than 95% of Americans” (Statistics about Chickenpox, n.d.). The Center for Disease Control estimates that “4 million cases of chickenpox occur each year. Approximately 1 in 2,254 or 0.04% or 120,624 people in the United States of America” (Statistics about Chickenpox, n.d.). “Every year there are approximately 5,000-9,000 hospitalizations and 100 deaths from the chickenpox in the United States” (Statistics about Chickenpox, n.d.). Vaccination is the key to the success of a decrease in the incidence and mortality of the disease.
Since chickenpox is a highly contagious disease it is important for communities to be vaccinated to deter the distribution of the disease among each other. People living in a low socio-economic population have little or no access to medical care and health prevention thus allowing the chickenpox virus to spread amongst the community. The best way to guard against chickenpox is by receiving the chickenpox vaccination. Although it is not mandatory in the state of New Jersey, pediatricians recommend that all children who have never had chickenpox disease receive the vaccination. Available to those low-income families is the “Vaccines for Children (VFC) program which is a federally funded program that provides vaccines at no cost to children who might not otherwise be vaccinated because of inability to pay” (CDC, 2014).
The epidemiologic triangle is a model that was developed for infectious diseases. The spread of a disease requires a susceptible host which with the chickenpox virus is the infected respiratory droplets or the vesicles of the chickenpox, an infective agent which is the varicella zoster virus and the environment which could be the unimmunized community which brings the two together. The community health nurse’s roll in the control and study of occurrences of varicella are the utmost important for preventing further spread of varicella disease. “ Strategies for controlling varicella outbreaks include confirming the outbreak, identifying cases, implementing varicella control measures, conducting case investigations, and establishing surveillance for additional cases” (CDC, 2014). One person with the chickenpox can lead to a potential outbreak. If an outbreak of chickenpox is confirmed the nurse needs to identify the persons involved and notify the affected community as an important step for controlling the outbreak. If an outbreaks occurs in school settings, all parents of children attending the school where an outbreak occurs should be notified about the outbreak and provide recommendations on intervention measures. Parents should be informed of signs and symptoms to observe for and to seek the medical attention of their pediatrician for possible vaccination if their child is not already vaccinated. A community health nurse may also provide education on communicable disease programs to help reduce the amount of contagious diseases in a community. The Varicella Zoster Virus Foundation (VZVF), now called the National Shingles Foundation is the “world’s only non-profit organization dedicated to the fight against the varicella zoster virus and its infections which include: chickenpox, shingles, and post-herpetic neuralgia through research and education” (A Decade of Leadership in the Fight Against VZV Infections, n.d.). Free educational health seminars on these infections are offered and question and answer participation is encouraged for the clients. The website available for the VZVF is: www.vzvfoundation.org/.http://. In conclusion it is found that the chickenpox caused by the varicella zoster virus, is an extremely contagious disease. Once considered a common disease in childhood, chickenpox is not seen as frequently since vaccination has become normal for most children. Nursing management of chickenpox varies according to the symptoms and the patient’s condition. Prevention is the key to controlling the spread of this communicable disease.

References:

CDC (2014) Chickenpox | Home | Varicella. Available at: http://www.cdc.gov/chickenpox/ (Accessed: 5 July 2015).
CDC (2014) VFC | Home | Vaccines for Children Program. Available at: http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/programs/vfc/index.html (Accessed: 5 July 2015). Chickenpox: Background, Pathophysiology, And Etiology (2015) Available at: http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/1131785-overview (Accessed: 5 July 2015).
Chickenpox (Varicella)-Topic Overview (no date) WebMD. Statistics about Chickenpox (no date) Available at: http://www.rightdiagnosis.com/c/chickenpox/stats.htm (Accessed: 5 July 2015). A Decade Of Leadership In The Fight Against VZV Infections (no date) Available at: http://www.vzvfoundation.org/ (Accessed: 5 July 2015).