Chickenpox, also called varicella, is a highly contagious disease caused by the varicella-zoster virus. It presents with a red, itchy rash that initially resembles insect bites on the face, scalp, chest, and back. While chickenpox is usually mild and self-limiting in children, it can lead to complications in infants, adolescents, pregnant women, and older patients. Treatment focuses on relieving symptoms through cooling baths, calamine lotion, and acetaminophen. The varicella vaccine provides effective prevention against chickenpox.

1. Have you ever
experienced having this?

2. Gross right? O__O

3. Before we begin with
the discussion.....
I shall share with you people a true to life
story...

4. CHICKEN POX
Patricia Librea
Ricki Literal
Mary Macaldo
Sam Madriñan
Kristine Olmo

5. What is Chickenpox?
• Also called VARICELLA
• It is a contagious viral
disease characterized by an
eruption of vesicles
(blisters) in the skin.

8. What causes chickenpox?
• Varicella-Zoster Virus

9. How do we acquire the
disease?
• Direct skin-to-skin contact
• Via respiratory droplets like coughing and
sneezing from the infected individual

10. Common age group affected:
• Children
• Before Vaccine was available:Children
between 5-9 years old.
• Between 2 and 6 years old.

11. Attack Rate:
• 90% among susceptible persons
• 70-90% among susceptible siblings
(Household)
• Infants under 6 months old.
• Pregnant women.
• Older patients have a higher risk for
complications of chickenpox.

12. Which gender is more likely to
be infected with the disease?
• Gender doesn't matter when it comes
to infection of chickenpox. But
women are more likely to develop
shingles which occurs in people who
have had chickenpox.
*Shingles -reactivation of the virus from
chickenpox

13. Shingles

14. Usually occurring...
• About 97% of adults in temperate
climates have antibodies to chickenpox by
their early 20's.
• Usually occurs during epidemics
*antibodies - large Y-shaped proteins, recruited by the
immune system to identify and neutralize foreign objects
like bacterias and viruses.

15. Complications:
• Itching - the most common complications
of the varicella infection that is very
distressing particularly for small children.
• Secondary infection and scarring
• Ear Infection
• Bacterial Superinfection

16. Complications:
• Reye Syndrome - It is a side effect of
aspirin therapy.
• Zoster Ophtalmicus
• Ramsay Hunt Syndrome
• Postherpetic Neuralgia (PHN)
• Pneumonia

17. Signs and Symptoms
• Red, itchy rash initially resembling insect
bites on your face, scalp, chest, and back.
• Fever
• Abdominal pain or loss of appetite
• Mild headache
• General feeling of unease and discomfort
• Dry cough
• Common cold

18. Diagnosis:
1. Verify if you have the symptoms of
chickenpox first.
What else could it be if not chickenpox?
-Insect bites
-Other viral illness
-Contact Dermatitis

19. 2. Frankly, you do not need to see the doctor
for straightforward cases but with the
exceptions of :
• You are not sure about the diagnosis after
two or three days have passed
• An infant 2 months or younger catches
chickenpox

20. • Your child has a weakened immune
system such as from an immune disorder
or from taking steroid medication
• The mother of a newborn baby breaks out
in chickenpox less than 3 days after the
birth
• Your child has fever more than five days

21. • Your child develops a moderate to severe
cough
• Severe headaches develop even when
fever is controlled (high fever can cause
headaches)
• Significant dizziness (spinning feeling)
occurs

22. • Severe headaches with vomiting and stiff
painful back of the neck or spine
• Any spots become infected with redness
spreading outward from the spot with
puss draining out

23. • Your child has spots on the upper or lower
eyelids or has red, painful eyes
• You are pregnant, are exposed to
chickenpox, and have never had the
illness or the vaccine

24. How long is the disease
contagious?
• The disease is contagious starting the day
before fever or spots appear, until 24
hours after all the blisters have crusted
over. This usually takes about 7 days from
beginning to end.

25. Treatment:
• Apply cold compress to blisters.
• Cool water baths (every 3-4 hours) adding
baking soda to calm itching.
• Acyclovir (Zofirax) is the only FDA (food
and drug administration) approved
treatment for chickenpox.
• Treat fever with acetaminophen (Tylenol)
or ibuprofen.

26. Treatment:
• Do not scratching to avoid future scarring.
One way to avoid scratching is to keep
fingernails clean and short.
• If the skin is sore and aggravated, dress
appropriately so they don't get too hot or
too cold.
• Loose-fitting, smooth, cotton fabrics and
will help stop the skin from becoming
sore and irritated.

27. Treatment:
• Occasionally a child will develop blisters
in the mouth, making eating or drinking
painful.
• A person should be encouraged to drink
fluids to prevent dehydration.
• To alleviate pain, provide cold fluids and
soft bland food. Avoid any foods that are
spicy, hot or acidic (Like orange juice)

28. Treatment
• Benadryl helps decrease the itching
• Oatmeal baths : Aveeno or other brands
can be purchased at the store. This can
soothe itching.
• Never use aspirin during a chickenpox
infection

29. Prognosis
Is it curable?
• Chickenpox can be cured
but it takes time
• Incubation period: 10-21
days

30. Prognosis
Is it fatal?
• Can be a fatal disease. Some
people die because of chickenpox.
• Most children completely recover
in a week. But it can be severe for
babies, adolescents, pregnant
women

31. Prevention
• Varicella vaccine
Note: Not 100 % effective at preventing the
disease but vaccinated people who develop
chickenpox usually develop a milder case
than unvaccinated people

32. Prevention
For chickenpox prevention, the vaccine
should be used in the following groups of
people:
• Children from 12 months to 13 years old:
Single dose
• People 13 and older: Two doses of vaccine
with 4-8 weeks apart

33. Prevention
• The chickenpox vaccine may be given at
the same time as other vaccines.
• No vaccine is 100% effective in preventing
the disease.
• About 8-9 out of 10 people who are
vaccinated are completely protected from
chickenpox.

34. Prevention
• If a vaccinated person does get
chickenpox, it is usually a very mild case
with fewer skin lesions (Usually less than
50) lasting only a few days, no fever or a
low fever, and few other symptoms.

35. QUIZ!!!

36. I. Identification
1. What is the other name for
chickenpox?
2. It is the virus that causes
chickenpox.
3. These are the common age group
affected by the disease.

37. 4-6. Give 3 symptoms of
chickenpox.
7-8. Give two ways on how we can
acquire chickenpox.
9. It is the most common complication
of the infection that is very distressing
particularly for small children.

38. 10. It is the only FDA (food and drug
administration) approved
treatment, an anti-viral drug used for
chickenpox
11. It is a kind of drug which when
intake into the body, may have a risk
of having Reye's syndrome.
12. How many days is the incubation
period?

39. II. True or False
13. The older the patient, the higher the risk
for complications from either chickenpox
or shingles.
14. The chickenpox vaccine should not be
given at the same time as other vaccines.
15. If a child has already taken a chickenpox
vaccine, he/she will not be infected with
chickenpox anymore.

40. ANSWER KEY:
1. Varicella
2. Varicella-Zoster Virus
3. Children
4. - 6. Fever, abdominal pain, mild
headache, general feeling of unease, dry
cough, common cold, general malaise

41. ANSWER KEY:
7. - 8. Direct skin to skin contact, via
respiratory droplets (coughing, sneezing)
9. Itching
10. Acyclovir (Zofirax)
11. Aspirin
12. 10-21 days
13. True
14. False
15. False