Chickenpox and Shingles

 What is chickenpox?

Chickenpox is a disease caused by the varicella-zoster virus, and it is a type of herpes virus. It is very rarely fatal, however, is highly contagious among unimmunized people. Before 1995, chickenpox was extremely common due to its easy-spreading nature, however, ever since the chickenpox vaccine was licensed for used in March 1995 in the US, chickenpox had been a much less significant issue. According to CDC, before the vaccine, every year about 4 million people had chickenpox, 10500-13000 were hospitalized and 100-150 died. Now, that number is cut off by 80%. How about in Canada? Between 1986 and 2018, 1987 had reported 72343 cases, making it the year with most cases. The numbers decreased until 1993 when it spiked to 49779 again. There was a steep drop from 2003 to 2004, dropping from 17572 cases to 1734 cases. In 2018, there were 339 cases. 

What is shingles?

Shingles, although caused by the same virus of chickenpox, is a much more severe disease than chickenpox. When the varicella-zoster virus reactivates, chickenpox doesn't reactivate. Instead, shingles takes its place. So if you've never had chickenpox or the chickenpox vaccine, you could never get shingles. Shingles is rarely fatal as well, but it could bring severe pain and itch to the patient.

Symptoms of Chickenpox:

- Rash that turns into blisters and scabs

- Fever and Headache

- Tiredness

- Loss of appetite

These symptoms usually come between 10-21 days of contracting the virus.

Symptoms of Shingles:

- Symptoms of Chickenpox

- Tingling, Prickling and Burning Pain

Transmission:

Chickenpox can be spread by airborne droplets or by touching the fresh blisters of an infected person. However, dry blisters cannot transmit chickenpox. Furthermore, chickenpox can live in the air for 2-3 hours.

Treatment: 

There's no specific treatment for Chickenpox. You just have to rest a lot, take care of your body, and if you feel any discomforts, take medicines to treat the symptoms.

Prevention: 

The vaccine, same as polio, is the most important part of chickenpox prevention. The chickenpox vaccine decreased cases by 90%, and the effectiveness of the vaccine in the body for more than 20 years with only 2 shots. In addition, with 2 shots, it is 100% effective against severe cases of chickenpox.