Chickenpox: A Communicable Disease

HCS/457

Chickenpox: A Communicable Disease

Introduction

In the early 1990’s Chickenpox (varicella virus) was considered a common occurrence in young children. In fact it was almost a universal childhood experience for children from that generation. This paper discusses Chickenpox and its symptoms, as well as, how environmental factors, lifestyle and socioeconomic status influence the spread of the virus and parent’s decision to vaccinate. It will also examine disease management, data findings and evidence based intervention and how community programs and the public health department help fight against the spread of the Chickenpox.

Chickenpox (Varicella zoster virus)

In the early 1990’s Chickenpox was considered a common occurrence in young children. In fact it was almost a universal childhood experience for children from that generation. The main belief back then was that it was better to get the disease in one’s youth rather than adulthood, because the symptoms would be much worse. Parents would even hold Chickenpox parties in order to have their children contract the disease while they were young. However, purposely exposing children to the virus was found to be ill advised, because they have a much greater chance of getting Shingles later on in life from the dormant virus.

It was not until 1995, that they added the Chickenpox vaccine to the children’s immunization schedule. In 2006 the booster dose was also added. Chickenpox is a highly communicable disease that is referred to scientifically as the Varicella zoster virus. This virus is similar and shares a resemblance to the herpes simplex virus and can be contracted through contact with the fluid from the blisters that appear on infected individuals (healthychildren.org, 2015). Chickenpox can also spread by airborne transmission when someone with Chickenpox coughs or sneezes near a healthy individual. Chickenpox is considered the most infectious for those who have not yet been exposed to the virus. According to the Directors of Health Promotion and Education, “In the United States, 4,000 to 9,000 individuals are hospitalized annually with chickenpox, with approximately one hundred casualties. Those at highest risk for complications are newborns, individuals with compromised immune system, and adults” (Director of Health Promotion and Education, 2010). Pub Med Health states that, “most children with Chickenpox exhibit symptoms like fever, headache, stomach ache, loss of appetite, or presence of small, fluid-filled, itchy, red spots over the skin” (Pub Med Health, 2009). The noticeable symptoms of chickenpox include a blister-like breakout, followed with an unpleasant sensation on the skin that makes an infected person want to scratch. Chickenpox can also cause fatigue and an elevated body temperature (healthychildren.org, 2015). Once an individual’s Chickenpox blisters have dried up and are no longer filled with fluid, the individual is not considered contagious. Unfortunately, after someone has recovered from the initial onset of Chickenpox, the Varicella virus will find residency in the individual’s nerve cells and will remain in a dormant state for the remainder of their lives. The dormant virus can rejuvenate later in the individual’s life and shift into their skin’s nerve fibers, thus producing a painful, burning rash called Shingles (CDC, 2014).

Environmental Factors

The most influential environmental factor to the spread of Chickenpox is the school year. The Varicella virus typically proliferates the most during the fall season, when the school year begins, and declines during the summer, when school is out for summer vacation. This could be due to the fact that children are not gathered together in classrooms, which decreases the chance of transmission. It generally takes about 10 to 21 days after a person has contracted the virus for the fluid filled blisters to appear. This means that during that period of time these individuals are essentially unaware that they are contagious. Fortunately, the prevalence of Chickenpox has dramatically decreased since vaccinations have become available to the public.
Preventions

Before the Chickenpox vaccine was available, the virus was widely accepted as a part of childhood. However, it was life threatening to infants, adults and elderly. According to the CDC in 2011, “The Chickenpox vaccine is the most excellent means to avoid Chickenpox. Vaccination does not only safeguards vaccinated individuals; it also reduces the unvaccinated individual’s risk of getting exposed” (CDC, 2011). In order for children to attend school in the US parents must make sure all children receive two varicella vaccinations as an immunization routine. The first dose is given to children between the ages of 12 to 15 months old and the second dose between the ages of 4 to 6 years old (healthychildren.org, 2015). The Chickenpox vaccine was created to eradicate this virus and improve the health of the public. Although Chickenpox has not been entirely eradicated, more than 99% children develop immunity to the disease after two doses of vaccine (IAC, n.d.).

Influence of Lifestyle, Socioeconomic Status & Disease Management

Lifestyles are always a leading influence on the outcome of health conditions or illnesses, regardless of whether the illness is persistent or acute. Socioeconomic status has had a rather significant influence on whether or not parents get their children vaccinated.

According to the 2009 National Immunization Survey, the consecutive ordering of parental delay or refusal of vaccinations related to higher socioeconomic status. This survey demonstrated that the children whose parents delayed and refused vaccines were significantly more likely to live in a family with an annual income greater than 400% of the federal poverty level, to be born to a mother that was married and 30 years of age or older. It also showed that the greatest number of parents that delayed or refused vaccines were English-speaking, graduated college, and were covered by a private health insurance. Most of these families had four or more children in the household who were 18 years old or younger and were more likely to be Caucasian or of Non-Hispanic White ethnicity/race. (Smith, 2011).

The goal of disease management in relation to Chickenpox is that of providing and translating knowledge to make the prevention and control of Chickenpox possible. This goal becomes reachable by way of identifying outbreaks and responding appropriately, and raising awareness within in the medical community and the public about the benefits of vaccinating children to prevent infection.

Community Programs

Parents within a community are a significant source of information as a way of keeping physicians and the local health department abreast to the number of outbreaks. Reported episodes of Chickenpox from parents are an indication that outbreaks of Chickenpox is increasing in the community’s preschool aged children. Varicella zoster vaccine was made part of the community immunization programs in order to eradicate the disease and preventing it to create an epidemic in communities. The goals of community immunizations program are lessening or eradicating Chickenpox cases and managing epidemic episodes that may arouse in the community. At present, Chickenpox hasn’t been eradicated in our society but has the occurrence has significantly diminished over the years allowing the community to live healthier lives. Education has been the key in community programs for individuals who have been once infected. Individuals who are exhibiting the signs and symptoms of chickenpox are advised to stay at home in order to avoid transmitting the disease to other people.

Public Health Department

In-charge of investigating infectious disease and managing community outbreaks is the public health department. Varicella-zoster is known to be a public health problem due to the fact that it brings about other illnesses such as Shingles, Pneumonia, Encephalitis, Hepatitis and also death (healthychildren.org, 2015). According to the Monroe County Health Department, “Public Health works to prevent and mitigate disease in the population. Clean drinking water, safe food, and control of disease are public health objectives that are always at work. Public health is always preparing for what will come next while also improving health in the present” (Monroe County Health Department, 2009). In cooperation with the local medical doctors, the public health department is devoted to avoid the proliferation of communicable diseases such as chickenpox. Up-to-date information and support to unvaccinated individuals are given by the public health department to keep everybody informed and vaccinated. Education programs being provided by the public health department keeps the society up-to-date with the latest treatments and preventive measures as regards to Varicella-zoster. Keeping the infection rate checked is significant in the management of Chickenpox.

Data Findings & Evidence-based Intervention

National data collected from the Mortality Multiple Cause-of-Death records from the US National Center for Health Statistics indicated that during the first 12 years of the vaccination program, in which most participants received one dose of the vaccine, the annual average mortality rate for the Varicella virus listed as the underlying cause of death declined by 88%. According to the data, there was a decrease of 0.41 per million of the population in 1990 to 1994, down to 0.05 per million of the population in 2005 to 2007. This decline was found to occur in all age groups. In particular, there was a significant drop of 97% in infected children and teens younger than 20 years. This was also the case for people overall who were younger than 50 years at a 96% decrease. From 2002 to 2007, there were a total of 3 deaths per age range reported among children between 1 to 4 years old and between 5 to 9 years old. When compared with an annual (pre-vaccine) average of 13 to 16 deaths for these same age ranges, that is a drastic improvement. (Marin, Zhang & Seward, 2011)

In conclusion, infections can happen to anybody. Whether it’s a kid or an adult, the human body can become infected by disease causing agents as they attached themselves to one or more organs and use the host tissue to multiply and release toxins. This paper has described Chickenpox and its symptoms. It also examined the effect of environmental factors and how lifestyle and socioeconomic status influence the spread of the virus. Disease management, data findings and evidence-based intervention were also evaluated. This paper reviewed how community programs and the public health department help fight against the spread of the Chickenpox.

References

CDC (2014, November). Shingles (Herpes Zoster) Vaccination. Retrieved from Center for Disease Control and Prevention: http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vpd-vac/shingles/default.htm

Directors of Health Promotion and Education, DHPE. (2010). Chickenpox. Retrieved April 10, 2011, from http://www.dhpe.org/infect/Chicken.html

Healthychildren.org. (2015). Chickenpox Vaccine: What You Need to Know (VIS). Retrieved from American Academy of Pediatrics: https://www.healthychildren.org/English/safety-prevention/immunizations/Pages/Chickenpox-Vaccine-What-You-Need-to-Know.aspx

IAC (n.d.) Chickenpox (Varicella): Questions and Answers. Retrieved from Immunization Action Coalition: http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p4202.pdf

Marin, Zhang & Seward. (2011, July). Near elimination of varicella deaths in the US after implementation of the vaccination program. Retrieved from Pubmed.gov: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21788222

Monroe County Health Department. (2009). What is Public Health? Retrieved from:http://www.co.monroe.mi.us/government/departments_offices/public_health/index.html

Pub Med Health. (2009). Varicella; Chicken Pox. Retrieved April 10, 2011, from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0002559/

Smith, Humiston, Marcuse, Zhao, Dorell, Howes, & Hibbs. (2011). Parental Delay or Refusal of Vaccine Doses, Childhood Vaccination Coverage at 24 Months of Age, and the Health Belief Model. Public Health Reports, 126(Suppl 2), 135–146.