Can chickenpox cause permanent damage?
Complications from chickenpox include pneumonia (lung infection), encephalitis (swelling of the brain), and bacterial infections of the skin from scratching. Encephalitis can lead to convulsions, deafness, or brain damage. About 1 in every 3,000 adults with chickenpox will die from the infection.
How does encephalitis affect the brain?
Encephalitis is inflammation of the active tissues of the brain caused by an infection or an autoimmune response. The inflammation causes the brain to swell, which can lead to headache, stiff neck, sensitivity to light, mental confusion and seizures.
Does chicken pox virus stay in your system forever?
If an adult develops chickenpox, the illness may be more severe. After a person has had chickenpox, the varicella-zoster virus can remain inactive in the body for many years. Herpes zoster (shingles) occurs when the virus becomes active again.
How does varicella zoster virus affect the body?
Varicella is characterized by fever concurrent with a self-limiting rash on the skin and sometimes mucosa. Headache, malaise, and loss of appetite are also seen. The rash begins as macules, rapidly progresses to papules, followed by a vesicular stage and crusting of lesions. Crusts slough off after 1 to 2 weeks.
Which disease is caused by varicella-zoster virus?
Chickenpox is a highly contagious disease caused by the varicella-zoster virus (VZV). It can cause an itchy, blister-like rash.
What is the cause of varicella-zoster virus?
Herpes zoster, also known as shingles, is caused by the reactivation of the varicella-zoster virus (VZV), the same virus that causes varicella (chickenpox). Primary infection with VZV causes varicella. Once the illness resolves, the virus remains latent in the dorsal root ganglia.
How long does the varicella zoster virus live?
Chickenpox spreads very easily by touching chickenpox blisters or through the air when someone with chickenpox coughs or sneezes. The virus does not live long on surfaces. Once someone comes in contact with the virus, it usually takes about 2 weeks for chickenpox to appear, but it can range from 10 to 21 days.
Where in the body does the varicella zoster virus lie dormant?
After the primary infection (chickenpox), the virus lies dormant in the nerves, including the cranial nerve ganglia, dorsal root ganglia, and autonomic ganglia. Many years after the person has recovered from chickenpox, VZV can reactivate to cause neurological conditions.
What does it mean if your positive for varicella?
A positive VZV IgG result indicates the presence of antibodies to varicella zoster virus. The test cannot distinguish between past infection and current infection though, so a positive result could indicate active infection and not immunity.
How do you know if you are immune to varicella?
If testing is done to see if you are at risk of developing an infection and it finds varicella-related immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies in your blood, it means you are immune. You have had a chickenpox infection or have been immunized successfully.
Can you lose immunity to varicella?
It is not known how long a vaccinated person is protected against varicella. But, live vaccines in general provide long-lasting immunity. Several studies have shown that people vaccinated against varicella had antibodies for at least 10 to 20 years after vaccination.
What does it mean if you are immune to varicella?
Tests are sometimes ordered to check for immunity to the varicella zoster virus (VZV). You have immunity if you’ve had chickenpox before or have had the chickenpox vaccine. If you have immunity it means you can’t get chickenpox, but you can still get shingles later in life.
Why is my varicella titer so high?
What does a high varicella titer mean? High levels of chickenpox antibodies in your blood mean that you have had the infection before and are now immune to it.
Can you be immune to chicken pox without having it?
Family members who have never had chickenpox have a high chance of becoming infected when another family member in the house is infected. The illness is often more severe in adults compared to children. Most people who have had chickenpox will be immune to the disease for the rest of their lives.
Do I need the shingles vaccine if I had the chickenpox vaccine?
They should get the vaccine whether or not they recall having had chickenpox, which is caused by the same virus as shingles. Studies show that more than 99% of Americans aged 40 and older have had chickenpox, even if they don’t remember getting the disease. There is no maximum age for getting shingles vaccine.