By Trinity Schroeder
It wasn’t so long ago that Chickenpox was a universal childhood experience. I’ve heard stories from older people of how they’ve suffered from the itchy rash and how they now endure another variant of the disease, shingles. Nowadays, however, it is rare to hear of a youth contracting chickenpox in the United States. This development can be attributed to the invention of a vaccine in 1995 and the widespread vaccination of children following its invention.
In present-day, the most at-risk people to contract chickenpox are infants whose mothers haven’t been vaccinated for or had chickenpox, pregnant women who haven’t had chickenpox, people who smoke, unvaccinated people and people who have weakened immune systems by certain medications. Amongst these people, pregnant women stand out the most, for this disease could affect not only the mother but the development of her unborn child. Infections, limb abnormalities, and low birth weights can all be attributed to a mother contracting chickenpox during her pregnancy.
How is Chickenpox Caused?
Chickenpox is caused by the varicella-zoster virus and is sometimes just known as varicella. When a person is infected by this virus, they will start out with a rash that appears on the head and will begin to spread to other body parts. This rash is contracted 10-21 days after coming into contact with the virus and can be expected to last for 10 days. The rash will start off as red bumps but will begin to turn into blisters and later scabs. Along with a rash a person may contract a fever or have bouts of tiredness. In most cases, this disease is rather mild but it can have deadly or debilitating complications in rare situations. Some of these complications include pneumonia, bacterial infections of the skin, and inflammation of the brain. Most importantly though, if a person does wind up with chickenpox it is best to stay isolated from others since the disease is extremely contagious and can be spread through touch, coughing, or sneezing.
The History of Chickenpox
As mentioned before, chickenpox was extraordinarily common in children before the vaccine. The first mention of chickenpox comes from a source in the 16th century. From this, we can discern that chickenpox has been a part of people's lives for hundreds of years, and the relative obscurity of it nowadays is extremely new. This becomes even more profound when noted that before the release of the vaccine millions of cases were reported every year in the united states, and today nearly every adult in America contracted chickenpox before they turned 18. Compare this to the 362 confirmed cases in 2019, and the statistics become mindblowing.
Even with the decline in the number of cases, it is heartbreaking to think of how this disease targets the most innocent people in our community, children. In an effort to bring light to the issue of vaccine-preventable deaths, a story was recorded of an eight-year-old boy living in Michigan in 1999 who died as a result of chickenpox. A week after the onset of the varicella rash he acquired an infection that eventually led to his death. The infection he succumbed to has been known to be linked to chickenpox. This was the fourth chickenpox related death in Michigan since 1997. Within the next two years, two more children would perish due to chickenpox in the same state. The most poignant part of all this is that all these lives could have been spared if only they had been vaccinated.
Is There a Treatment?
Despite all the pain that this disease can cause, there is no treatment for chickenpox. To care for patients with chickenpox doctors prescribe pain medications and topical ointments for the rash. This isn’t the only bad news, the virus that causes chickenpox can reappear later in life in the form of shingles. This usually happens to older adults, around 50+ years of age. Similarly to chickenpox, shingles presents itself as painful blisters. Nonetheless, adults who’ve had chickenpox can help prevent shingles by getting a vaccine.
For a more positive outlook on the disease, we can look towards recent discoveries in the quest to find a treatment. Acyclovir, an antiviral drug, has been considered as an option for some adults who have a high risk of getting infections when diagnosed with chickenpox. When taking this drug orally it has been noted that there was a reduction in the duration of symptoms. One thing to note, however, is that it still requires additional trials to confirm its viability. But acyclovir isn’t alone in the fight to find a treatment, another medication for chickenpox that might prove more effective involves the anti-viral, sorivudine. Similarly to acyclovir, additional trials and peer review are needed to confirm that this is a viable treatment, but based on the current research sorivudine results in a quicker healing time that when compared to acyclovir was even more efficient. Although these drugs are still out of reach for the ordinary chickenpox patient, it’s a step forward in creating a medication that will help many people
Conclusion
The biggest lesson that can be learned from the history of chickenpox is to prioritize prevention. The discovery of a vaccine is what has made chickenpox a thing of the past and has spared countless children from enduring its effects. Since there is no treatment for this disease yet, it is in the best interest of each individual to get vaccinated, not just to protect themselves but to protect those that are at risk.
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