Chicken pox (Varicella) is an itchy viral skin disease commonly caught by children before the age of 15, with most cases happening between the ages of 5 and 9. A vaccine, first available in the mid-1990s, now helps protect against the virus. But if you haven't already had the virus or vaccine, you should know how to avoid getting chicken pox while helping an infected person.
1Understand the basics of how the virus is spread, its symptoms, and the severity of the disease in an adult, especially one with a compromised immune system, who has never had the disease, or is pregnant.
- People infected with chicken pox normally don't develop the characteristic itchy rash (usually developing first on the person's scalp and trunk then spreading to the arms and legs), mild fever (up to 102 degrees F), and feeling of weakness until 14 to 16 days after they were first exposed to the disease. Even those who've had the vaccine can still develop a mild form of the disease, usually less than 50 spots.
- The disease spreads via airborne particles in a classroom or at home, or by a person coming in contact with the seeping blisters. The virus can be transmitted through the air via a cough or sneeze, by respiratory tract secretions, or even handling toys or bedding used by the infected person. It is highly communicable with most cases occurring during the winter and early spring.
- New mothers infected with chicken pox can infect their babies, and pregnant women can pass it on to their unborn babies. Both of these scenarios are extremely dangerous to the infant or newborn. The virus can be life-threatening to infants, newborns and people with compromised immune systems as it can develop into pneumonia or even cause birth defects when a newborn catches the virus in utero.
2Receive two doses of the chicken pox vaccine, 4 to 8 weeks apart, to help you begin developing immunity to the virus. (Children ages 2 through 12 only need one dose of the vaccine.) Discuss any health concerns or risk factors you may have with your doctor or local health clinic personnel before having the shot.
- Keep in mind that you can still develop a mild case of the disease following vaccination. Even a mild case (around 50 spots) will give you a life-long immunity to contracting the virus again.
3Wash hands with hot water and antibacterial soap any time you handle anything the infected person has touched. This includes bedding, towels, dishes, facial tissues or anything else that could contain germs.
4Buy disposable surgical masks and gloves from your local pharmacy or medical supply store. These items will help prevent you from breathing in any germs the person sneezes or coughs into the air and will keep nasal discharge or blister seepage from the skin blemishes out of any open cuts on your hands.
- You'll also want to wear the gloves if bathing a child or giving a bed-bath to a bed-ridden person. It's important to keep the skin of the infected person clean, as open chicken pox blisters that aren't kept clean can become infected and cause health complications.
5Ask your doctor about Acyclovir, a drug sometimes given to someone within a day or two after the onset of the chicken pox rash to help lessen the symptoms. If you catch your "patient" early enough, or if you start to develop symptoms despite you best efforts to stay disease-free, see your doctor immediately about the possibility of taking this medication. This treatment is often reserved for people who have additional risk factors such as a recurring skin condition or other health situation that could be worsened by a severe case of chicken pox.
6Get plenty of rest and drink plenty of fluids. Sometimes people who act as caregivers forget to take care of themselves, too, but if you let yourself get rundown, the greater the chance you could develop the disease.Ad
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- Once you have had a chicken pox outbreak of more than 50 blisters, you will have a lifetime immunity to developing it again.
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In other languages:
Español: Cómo evitar contagiarte de varicela mientras ayudas a un infectado, Italiano: Come Evitare di Prendere la Varicella mentre si Aiuta una Persona infetta, Русский: избежать заражения ветряной оспой, когда вы ухаживаете за больным, Português: Como Evitar se Contaminar ao Cuidar de Alguém com Catapora
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