Poor Desmond has come down with a bout of the chicken pox…at the age of 39!  He caught it from a friend’s little boy after he contracted it from school as is usual at the age of 7.  Unbeknown to Desmond, he had never actually had Chicken Pox in childhood.  Thankfully it’s not actually Shingles, which is normally a reactivation of chicken pox and normally appears in Adulthood, mainly in the elderly, and can be much worse.  So now, he’s laid up at home, living in quarantine, with only his laptop to keep him company! 

Chicken Pox is a disease caused by the Varicella Zoster virus.  It is a highly contagious illness, common in children and recognised by an itching skin rash with blisters.  The virus gets transferred from one person to another through the broken blister, saliva or nasal mucous coughed out by the infected person.  The infectious period lasts for up to three days until they finally scab over.  According to website, www.netdoctor.co.uk there is an incubation period of up to 10-20 days from the time you are infected until the disease breaks out and symptoms appear.  For children though, it is generally harmless and heals pretty quickly, normally scabbing starts 2-3 days after the first appearance.  Unfortunately, the itchiness can be irritating and for kids, the urge to scratch is an appealing one.  Calamine lotion is normally prescribed for this, to calm it down and relieve the itching.  This is a medicine that belongs to a group of medicines known as anti-pruritics, used to relieve itching from skin disorders.  It has a cooling effect and also contains the active ingredient zinc oxide, which has antiseptic properties and helps prevent infection from scratching.  Occasionally, and mostly in adults, an anti-viral drug known as Acicolvir, is prescribed and works by stopping these herpes viruses from reproducing and infecting more cells in the body.  Sometimes, and those with weakened immune systems, Chicken Pox can be complications such as pneumonia and meningitis.  Pregnant women, the elderly and those with illnesses related to the immune system should be aware.

Other websites that can help are: www.nhsdirect.org.uk ; www.bbbc.co.uk/health ; www.womens-health.co.uk ; www.patient.co.uk