Understanding Chicken Pox: Infection to Incubation

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Chicken Pox is a viral infection caused by the varicella-zoster virus, a type of
herpes virus. It is contracted by contact with actual lesions or by respiratory
secretions and there is a 10-21 day incubation period during which your child is
developing the illness but does not show any symptoms and is not contagious
(until the very last 1 or 2 days before the pox appear.). Once the vesicles show
up there are likely to be many more on the way for between 3 and 7 more days and
your child is contagious throughout this whole period until there are no new
lesions for at least 24 hours and the old lesions are dry or scabbed. This virus
is unusual in several ways, one way being that it settles into areas of the
nervous system and then potentially …show more content…

This becomes important to families when young children
with chicken pox are scheduled to visit grandparents and parents are concerned
that their elderly parents will "catch" pox from the grandchildren.
Chicken pox can be acquired any time during the year but is most prevalent in
winter and spring. 90-95% of Americans get chicken pox in childhood and often
from their own siblings. For unclear reasons, chicken pox is less common in
tropical climates and many adult immigrants are not protected from this
infection. Infection in adults is typically more severe and can be life
threatening. Almost all exposed children will develop a rash, described as
"dewdrops on rosebuds", although some children have so few lesions
that they may go unnoticed. Many children have a prodrome (sick period before
the actual obvious illness appears) that included fever, malaise, headache, poor
appetite, and mild abdominal pain. These symptoms may continue for 2-4 days
after the rash first appears. Usually the vesicles start on the face and scalp,
moving next to the trunk and then on to the extremities. They arrive in

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