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| {{Chickenpox}}
| | #Redirect [[Varicella zoster virus]] |
| {{CMG}}
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| {{MJM}}
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| ==Overview==
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| In a typical scenario, a young child is covered in pox and out of school for a week. The first half of the week the child feels miserable from intense itching; the second half from boredom. Since the introduction of the [[chickenpox vaccine]], classic [[chickenpox]] is much less common.
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| [[Chickenpox]] is extremely contagious, and can be spread by direct contact, droplet transmission, and airborne transmission. Even those with mild illness after the [[vaccine]] may be [[contagious]].
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| When someone becomes infected, the pox usually appear 10 to 21 days later. People become [[contagious]] 1 to 2 days before breaking out with pox. They remain contagious while uncrusted blisters are present.
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| Once you catch [[chickenpox]], the [[virus]] usually remains in your body for your lifetime, kept in check by the [[immune system]]. About 1 in 10 adults will experience [[shingles]] when the [[virus]] re-emerges during a period of [[stress]].
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| Most cases of [[chickenpox]] occur in children younger than ten. The disease is usually mild, although serious complications sometimes occur. Adults and older children usually get sicker than younger children do.
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| Children under one year of age whose mothers have had [[chickenpox]] are not very likely to catch it. If they do, they often have mild cases because they retain partial [[immunity]] from their mothers' blood. Children under one year of age whose mothers have not had [[chickenpox]], or whose inborn [[immunity]] has already waned, can get severe [[chickenpox]].
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| The pox are worse in children who have other skin problems, such as [[eczema]] or a recent [[sunburn]].
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| Complications are more common in those who are immunocompromised from an illness or medicines like [[chemotherapy]]. Some of the worst cases of [[chickenpox]] have been seen in children who have taken [[steroids]] during the incubation period, before they have any symptoms.
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| ==References==
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| {{Reflist|2}}
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