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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the danger to the fetus if a pregnant woman gets chicken pox?

Chicken pox FAQ
Essentially the risk is rather small depending upon how far along the pregnancy is. However, it is not insignificant. For a more in-depth discussion about this topic, I suggest reading my previous question "Chicken Pox and Pregnancy".

Should my child with chicken pox avoid pregnant women?

Chicken pox FAQ
Yes. If the pregnant woman has definitely had chicken pox in the past there should not a risk of exposing the fetus to the virus. However, to be on the safe side, children with chicken pox should avoid coming in contact with pregnant women.

What should I do if I am pregnant and a family member has or has been exposed to Chicken pox?

FAQ's About Pregnancy
middot; Most adults are immune to chicken pox, either from having the disease of by forming immunity from a mild exposure. If you have had chicken pox in the past, you and your baby are protected (immune). If you are not sure, ask your health care provider to check your immunity with a blood test. If this shows positive immunity, you and your baby are protected. If it shows no immunity, an injection of a medicine called Varicella Immune Globulin (VZIG) may be given to prevent chicken pox.

What is chicken pox?

Chicken pox FAQ
Chicken pox has a fancier medical name called varicella zoster. It is a virus which infects the body causing the typical illness. To understand why it is called "chicken pox" see "Why is it called Chicken Pox?".

Can someone get chicken pox more than once?

Chicken pox FAQ
Almost never. Except for children and adults who have immune system problems, getting chicken pox confers life-long immunity. Now, the minute I say never, someone will come up with a story about how he or one of his family got it twice. While this is a possibility, it is extremely rare. Most of the time, these stories turn out that the original chicken pox "infection" was a rash that was mistaken for chicken pox.

How do you catch chicken pox?

Chicken pox FAQ
Humans are the only animals that get chicken pox. Therefore, the only way to catch it is by being around a person who has it. The virus is spread through secretions and by tiny droplets, so sharing saliva (kissing, infant's toys, etc.), sneezing, and coughing are good ways to get the virus from one person to another.

How long is someone with chicken pox contagious?

Chicken pox FAQ
The most contagious time occurs when the person is going through the cold-like symptoms which is usually two to five days before the rash shows up. Therefore, the time in which someone is most contagious occurs before the person even knows he has chicken pox! After the rash appears, the person is infectious for about 5 days or until all the lesions have begun crusting over. This does not mean the lesions need to have gone away or fallen off, just crusted over.

How are the symptoms of chicken pox treated?

Chicken pox FAQ
Unfortunately, there isn't much that can be done to completely eliminate the symptoms once a child is infected with chicken pox. Therefore, treatment is geared to trying to alleviate the pain, itch, and fever of chicken pox. Because of the association of Reye's Syndrome and aspirin use during chicken pox, acetaminophen (Tylenol, Tempra, etc.) should be the only medication used to treat fever during this illness.

Are there more serious complications associated with chicken pox?

Chicken pox FAQ
Chicken pox is a relatively benign infection for most. However, more serious complications do uncommonly occur, and it is these more serious complications that constitute the biggest argument to give the chicken pox vaccine. Some of these complications include: The most common of these otherwise uncommon complications is infection of the skin due to bacteria invading the open sores of the chicken pox. Most of the time, these skin infections are easily treated with antibiotics by mouth.

Is chicken pox more dangerous for some children?

Chicken pox FAQ
Children with immune problems can have significant problems if infected with chicken pox. These include those children infected with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, those with cancer, those on steroids for other illnesses, and newborn babies.

What can be done to prevent chicken pox?

Chicken pox FAQ
The most effective way to prevent chicken pox in children is to get the vaccine. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that all children over 12 months of age receive this vaccine. The vaccine licensed in the U.S. has been used for a little over six years now and immunity has been holding relatively strong. About 95 percent of children remain immune after six years. However, because it is not 100 percent, these children will most likely require booster shots as an adult.

Should I give my child the chicken pox vaccine?

Chicken pox FAQ
This is entirely up to you and your child's doctor. As I said, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends vaccinating all children against this disease. There are a lot of pros and cons to this issue, so open discussion with you and your child's doctor is important.

How do I prove that I am immune to varicella (chicken pox)?

Volunteer: FAQ'S
By demonstrating a verbal history verified by a healthcare provider; by vaccination with two doses of Varivax; or by a blood test that shows immunity to varicella.

what's the danger of high blood sugar to the growing fetus?

Gestational Diabetes
My husband of 4 years is a type I Diabetic and NOW he tells me he has NO desire for me or anyone else. He loves me with ALL his heart but no sex no more?? what do I do? I am still a super sexy , disirable Women and i feel he has pretended to get me to marry him. what i have is a sharp pain every once in a while on the top right side of my left foot what could it be? i am diabetic People with medical conditions that need them to sleep in a particular position usually use adjustable beds.

Can't Acyclovir (Zovirax) make chicken pox go away faster?

Chicken pox FAQ
in-depth discussion may be found in "Would you prescribe Zovirax for chicken pox scars?" however, to summarize: Acyclovir is an anti-viral medication that has been proven to decrease the symptoms of chicken pox, decrease the number of lesions, and decrease the amount of time it takes for the lesions to crust over. However, this decrease is only one day of illness and is only effective if the medication is started within the first day of the rash.

What are the effects on fetus, if a pregnant woman develops chickenpox?

Chicken pox Pediatric Oncall
The effects depend on timing of the infection. If a mother develops infection during early pregnancy (e.g. first three months of pregnancy), the growth of various fetal organs may get affected and baby may be born with skin scarring, abnormalities of limb development and cataract. These babies may be mentally retarded, and may develop heart defect too. There is a possibility that abortion may occur in the pregnant woman.

I don’t remember whether I’ve had chicken pox. How should I answer this question?

Volunteer: FAQ'S
If you are not sure whether you’ve had chicken pox, please answer “No” to this question. If you have not had Chicken Pox or are not sure, be sure to obtain a blood titer showing immunity or two doses of Varicella (Chicken Pox) vaccine. Please include this documentation with your application and Health Clearance form.

I have never had Chicken Pox or shingles - will I need to have this vaccination?

Frequently Asked Questions
The Faculty recommends that students who have not had either disease should now be immunised. When you are having your blood test for Hepatitis B antibodies ask the Medical Practitioner to run an antibody test for Chicken Pox (Varicella) and Shingles (Varicella-zoster). Sometimes people can be exposed to the diseases and make antibodies without having signs of the illness. If your result is low you should be vaccinated – this is 2 vaccinations 1 - 2 months apart.

How can I tell chicken pox from smallpox?

Summa Health System - FAQs
first, it might be hard to tell the difference between chicken pox and smallpox. However, all smallpox lesions develop at the same pace, while chicken pox develops in "crops" on the body.
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