Varicella, more commonly known as “chickenpox” is a disease caused by the varicella-zoster virus. It is characterized by a fever and itchy, blistering rash that lasts for about 10 to 14 days. Some individuals may also develop a cough, runny nose and stomach-ache. Though a person of any age can get varicella, it is most common in young children who have not yet built immunity, whether through immunization or antibodies.
Chickenpox is highly contagious and easily spread through direct contact, aerosolized droplets from coughing, sneezing or speaking, or aerosolized respiratory secretions. In fact, per findings, as many as 90% of non-protected persons who come into contact with an infected persons will end up contracting the disease.
Though most people view chickenpox as a harmless, childhood virus, the truth is that, when the wrong person becomes infected, the complications can be catastrophic. For this reason, it is every person’s responsibility to protect themselves from the virus and to protect others. Whether you have varicella, know someone who does or simply want to take proactive measures, it is important to understand how the virus spreads and what you can do to protect yourself and others.
Varicella is very easily spread via direct contact with an infected person or through the inhalation of aerosolized droplets. For instance, you may contract the disease if you touch an open blister and then touch your mouth, eyes, nose or an open sore. You can also spread the virus by touching an open sore and then another surface. If another person touches that surface then touches his or her mouth, eyes, nose or an open sore, he or she can contract the virus. The good news is, in this latter scenario, the varicella-zoster virus does not live long on surfaces.
Varicella is also spread through aerosolized droplets. Aerosolized droplets are those emitted into the air via coughing, sneezing or speaking.
As with any virus, a person who has chickenpox is only contagious for a limited amount of time. For the varicella virus, the contagion period is approximately two weeks long, though, for some persons, it can be shorter or longer. Most people become contagious one to two days before developing the first blister. They remain contagious until 24 hours after both the last blister scabs over and the last blister appears. The typical contagion period ranges from 10 to 21 days.
The best way to prevent the spread of chickenpox is to get vaccinated. The U.S. is a prime example of the effectiveness of the vaccine. Since it introduced the vaccination program more than 25 years ago, the incident rate has declined from more than 4 million cases per year to fewer than 150,000 cases. The hospitalization rates have declined from 10,000 per year to fewer than 1,400 per year, and the death rates have gone from 150 annually to less than 30.
If you have not yet been vaccinated, and/or if your children have not yet been vaccinated, you should get the first of the two doses as soon as you are able. Though there is not right or wrong time to begin the series, health organizations do provide some guidelines regarding when the first does should be given and to whom:
Once vaccinated, a person’s risk of developing chickenpox reduces drastically. If a vaccinated person does end up contracting the virus, the symptoms are likely to be mild, with few blisters. The rate of fever in vaccinated persons is low. The risk of severe complications is almost non-existent.
Outside of vaccinating yourself and loved ones, there are other, minor steps you can take to prevent the spread of varicella. A few of the more effective measures you can take are as follows:
By getting yourself and loved ones vaccinated, and by taking these measures, you can significantly reduce the spread of the varicella-zoster virus.