Communicable Disease

Communicable Disease

There are many communicable diseases and Chickenpox is one of them. This disease is caused from the contraction of a virus named Varicella-Zoster. This virus often resembles the symptoms of the Herpes virus. The virus is transmitted from individuals by sneezing, coughing, and fluids from blisters. The chickenpox virus is considered a highly communicable disease and has an 80% risk of contracting this disease when individuals are first exposed. Pub Med Health stated “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). Individuals were no longer contagious after blisters dried and scabbed over.

There are no exceptions to contracting chickenpox, everyone is at risk. Sometimes this disease can be life-threatening. In the U.S., there are on average, 4,000 to 9,000 people hospitalized because of the Chickenpox virus and at least 100 casualties annually (Directors of Health Promotion and Education, 2010). Newborns, people with compromised immune systems, and adults are at a higher risk. As chickenpox is caused by a virus, it has no cure and the virus would remain in our system for a lifetime even after we’ve done exhibiting the signs and symptoms of the illness. The chickenpox virus can introduce a different virus in those who have contracted it, this virus is called Shingles and affects people when they get older. There are several known complications of chickenpox and these are infections, encephalitis, and hepatitis. Pregnant women are known to be of the highest risk for the virus causes still births and infections during delivery.

Environmental seasons, overcrowded communities, and school sessions are all factors in the spreading of the virus. Research shows that the chickenpox virus proliferates during autumn and declines during warmer months. One infected individual in a classroom is all it takes to...