TYPES OF VACCINATION [VARICELLA]

VARICELLA 

[CHICKEN POX VACCINE]

About the disease...

Chickenpox (varicella) is a disease caused by a virus. Most people with chickenpox get very itchy blisters and sores all over their body.Chickenpox is spread person-to-person through the air. It is very contagious. Chickenpox can be a serious disease, especially in babies and adults. The disease can cause serious skin infections, pneumonia, brain damage, and even death. Chickenpox is especially dangerous for people whose immune systems are weak because of illness or medications.It is extremely contagious and can be spread by an infected person before they even know they're sick.Vaccination is the most effective step you can take to be protected from this serious disease.

More about the Vaccine...

The chickenpox vaccine is a shot that can protect nearly everyone who gets it from catching chickenpox. It's also called the varicella vaccine, because chickenpox is caused by the varicella-zoster virus. The vaccine is made from a live but weakened, or attenuated, virus.

Viruses that have been attenuated are less virulent than viruses that are not. Although the virus in the chickenpox vaccine is generally incapable of causing a disease, it still stimulates a response from the body's immune system. That response is what gives someone who's had a shot for chickenpox immunity or protection from the illness.

Importance of the Vaccine...

Most cases of chickenpox are relatively mild and run their course in five to 10 days. But it can be very serious, even life-threatening, in a small percentage of people.The risk of serious, life-threatening complications is greatest among infants, adults, and people with weakened immune systems. But anyone can develop serious complications and there is no way to predict who will.

There's another reason for getting a shot for chickenpox. The illness is highly contagious and can be spread by direct contact or through the air by sneezing or coughing. Also, someone can get it by coming in contact with fluid from chickenpox blisters. For that reason, children with chickenpox need to be kept out of school or day care for about a week or more until all blisters have dried and crusted over. The illness causes an itchy rash that usually forms between 200 and 500 blisters over the entire body, headaches, coughing, and fussiness. So even if the illness is mild, it still means five to 10 days of being uncomfortable.

Vaccine Schedule...

All children should get 2 doses of chickenpox vaccine starting at age 1. Some teens and adults may also need this vaccine if they didn't get 2 doses of the vaccine or chickenpox disease when they were younger.