Center for Preventive Medicine of the GU "Territorial Medical Association of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine in Kirovograd region" informs that during 2019 were registered cases of chickenpox: 16 cases, including among children - 11, in 2018 - 30 cases, including 11 among children, including a case of group disease of conscripts, where 16 people fell ill. At the beginning of this year there were isolated cases of chickenpox among servicemen and children. In order to prevent chickenpox in children and adults who, according to the law, have the right to medical care in health facilities of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, we offer a careful look at the information about varicella transmission routes and its prevention.

Chickenpox: routes of transmission and prevention

Chickenpox, or chickenpox, is a very contagious disease caused by the herpes varicella-zoster virus. A person who has not previously had chickenpox and has not been vaccinated is infected by contact with a sick person with a 90-100% probability. Most people manage to get the disease in childhood. When an adult first gets it, the disease is more severe. If you or your children have not had chicken pox, you should know how chicken pox is transmitted, which routes of infection exist, and preventive measures.

routes of transmission

The chicken pox virus is transmitted from a sick person to a healthy person. There are three ways in which chicken pox is transmitted:

airborne,
contact,
intrauterine.
The airborne route is the most common. Chickenpox is transmitted by sneezing and coughing. In this case, a person may not realize that she is a carrier of the pathogen.

The contact route is the transmission of the virus by encountering the contents of the vesicles of the rash. The fluid that fills the papules containing the virus in high concentration. When a patient scratches the skin, it gets under the nails, spreads through the body, is transmitted by shaking hands.

Intrauterine route - infection of the fetus during pregnancy from a vaccinated mother who has not had chickenpox before. Primary infection in early gestation can cause abnormal fetal development. If infected after the 12th week, congenital chickenpox develops, which is difficult for the baby to bear.

Where you can become infected

Chickenpox is transmitted between children in kindergartens and schools, between adults in crowded communities. It can spread from children to adults and back again.

Chickenpox virus can be transmitted outdoors. Getting into the environment by sneezing and coughing, it spreads with bodily fluids at a distance of up to 20 meters. But the pathogen is unstable in the external environment, so it can be infected only in crowded places.

How chickenpox is not transmitted

Chickenpox is not transmitted through third parties, is not transmitted with clothes, toys, bedding, utensils, if much time has passed since the patient came into contact with them.

period of contagiousness

 The incubation period is 8 to 21 days. In children, it averages 14 days and in adults 16 days. After the incubation period, the first symptoms appear. Two days before symptoms appear, the person becomes contagious to others.

The period of contagiousness lasts for the entire phase of the appearance of the rash. It ends 3-5 days after the disappearance of the vesicles of the rash.

Symptoms

Signs of chickenpox appear after the end of the incubation period. The onset of the disease outwardly resembles an acute respiratory illness. The first signs include:

Headache, sore throat, sore muscles;
loss of appetite
Irritability, mood swings;
Increased lymph nodes.
Within 1-2 days after the appearance of the first clinical signs, vicipancy occurs.Vicipancy is accompanied by fever. These symptoms are interrelated. With a high fever (up to 39 ° C), the rash is more profuse. As new spots appear, the fever increases.

Rashes occur all over the body. The first elements of chickenpox usually appear on the torso, then on the extremities, then on the face and scalp. Children may have rashes in their mouths. On the palms and feet, the rash is rare, mostly in the severe form of the disease.

The first elements of the rash usually appear on the trunk, then on the extremities, face, and scalp.

The rash includes three types of elements that appear sequentially: first red spots, then bumps resembling a mosquito bite (papules), and finally blisters with a clear fluid (vesicles) with a red rim of inflamed skin. After maturation, the vesicles burst. In their place ulcers form, then crusts, which fall off. The period from the formation of the spot to the appearance of the crusts takes 1 to 2 days, and complete healing takes 2 to 3 weeks. The rash is usually itchy, and the infection spreads when scratching. To prevent this, prescribe treatment of blisters with green and fucorcinol, sometimes antihistamines are indicated.

Chickenpox varies in its course. In some patients, new rash elements stop appearing after 2 days; in others, they appear within 9 days. Usually on the 5th-8th day of the disease, the patient has no fresh spots.

Differences in symptoms in adults and children

In children and adults, the severity of symptoms differs. At an early age, chickenpox is relatively easily tolerated. The immune system of a mature person resists more actively. This is manifested in headaches, chills, fever, weakness, and dizziness. In adults, the rash appears last and does not heal well. It is accompanied by severe itching, scars remain after scratching, and complications often arise.

Adults who had chickenpox in childhood, with a weakened immune system may have a secondary form of the disease. It is also called shingles.

Typically, the diagnosis is made on the basis of characteristic symptoms - fever and rash. To clarify the causative agent of the disease, a blood test is prescribed.

complications

Most children tolerate chickenpox in its mild form. The severe form is more common in adults. It is accompanied by a number of complications:

pneumonia
stomatitis;
otitis,
encephalitis;
hepatitis
inflammation of muscles, joints
Infectious skin lesions from scratching blisters.
prevention

To protect yourself, you need to avoid places where you can catch chickenpox: crowded areas, hospitals, kindergartens during the chickenpox quarantine period. The patient should be treated in a separate room, use individual household items, utensils. People around him should strengthen hygiene measures so that they do not transmit the disease.

Children from 1 to 13 years of age who have not previously had chickenpox and have not been vaccinated against it, vaccination with Varilrix or Okavax is indicated. These products can be used for emergency prophylaxis for 72 hours after contact with an infected person. If more time has elapsed since exposure, the vaccine may not be effective. After timely administration, persistent immunity is formed, which can be maintained for up to 20 years.

Doctors believe that it is better to get over this infection in childhood - it is easily tolerated, and facial scars and other effects of chickenpox go away on their own without additional medical intervention.

TMO Center for Preventive Medicine