How chickenpox is transmitted is a frequent question of parents whose children attend children's groups or communicate a lot with peers. Ways of transmission of the causative agent of the disease determine the characteristics of the pathogen and its symptom complex.

In order to avoid infection, it is important to know how chickenpox is transmittedChickenpox is an acute viral disease caused by the varicella-zoster virus (known as herpesvirus type III - varicella-zoster) with a predominant airborne route of transmission and possible long-term persistence in the form of a latent infection, the activation of which leads to.

Chicken pox is manifested by symptoms of intoxication (subfebrile temperature or fever, lack of appetite, weakness, malaise, etc.).. ) and a specific generalized roseolous-vesicular rash.

Epidemiology. The prevalence of the children's age category is explained by the fact that, for the first six months or a year, under the condition of breastfeeding, the child receives immune protection (specific antibodies) along with mother's milk.

The disease in most cases occurs in young children With age, the antibody titer gradually decreases, and by the age of three, antiviral immunoglobulins completely disappear.

The source of infection is a person with chickenpox, which poses a threat to others at the end of the incubation period and throughout the entire period of rashes.

The patient releases the maximum amount of the virus into the environment along with saliva (when talking, coughing, sneezing, using the same dishes, etc.)..

Ways of transmission of varicella The mechanism of transmission is the way a pathogen (an infectious agent capable of causing disease) moves from an infected organism to a healthy, susceptible one..

This mechanism occurs in the implementation of three gradual stages:.

Transmission mechanism stages.

Implementation.

First.

Isolation of the pathogen into the external environment from the source (sick person).

Second.

Short-term or long-term stay of the pathogen in the external environment.

Third.

Introduction of a pathogen into an uninfected organism.

There are several transmission mechanisms:.

aerogenic;

contact (through things, dishes, etc..

transmissible (using carriers);

fecal-oral;

vertical (from mother to child during pregnancy and childbirth);

blood contact (through blood).

Aerogenic transmission mechanism The aerogenic transmission mechanism inherent in chickenpox implies that the virus is located on the mucous membrane of the respiratory tract of the affected host organism and is transferred to an uninfected host through the air.

Most often, the chickenpox virus is transmitted by airborne droplets. The aerogenic mechanism is implemented in two ways:.

airborne;

air-dust.

The airborne route implies that the pathogen, which is in the form of an aerosol, when coughing, sneezing, communicating, etc.. quickly spreads to the environment. Infection occurs when a pathogen enters a susceptible organism during inhalation of air from varicella-zoster..

With the air-dust method, the pathogen released into the environment is able to stay outside the body for a long time, which determines its high level of resistance, and enter the macroorganism along with inhaled dust.

Since chickenpox is transmitted by airborne droplets, all people who come into contact are potentially infected, especially given the high susceptibility to this virus in the population, which reaches 70-90%.

Vertical route of transmission of the pathogen In addition to airborne droplets, there is another possible route of transmission of chickenpox - vertical (transplacental, intrauterine). In this case, the virus is transmitted to the fetus from a sick mother during pregnancy or passage through the birth canal..

The causative agent of the disease can be transmitted from mother to fetus Transmission of the virus in the prenatal period is dangerous with the possibility of the formation of fetal malformations. However, this happens very rarely..

Is it possible to get chickenpox through a third party Varicella-zoster is unstable in the external environment, once in which it dies within 10-15 minutes. Particularly destructive for him is daylight (ultraviolet rays), disinfectants, temperature rises over 60 ° C.

The impossibility of the existence of the virus outside the human body determines the low probability of its transmission by airborne dust..

Therefore, the risk of getting chickenpox through a third party is extremely small, especially if the third party is a person who has had chickenpox or is vaccinated against it..

TreatmentChickenpox that is mild usually does not require any treatment.. The only exception is the local application of funds to vesicles (vesicles) for antipruritic, anti-inflammatory and preventive purposes..

In uncomplicated cases, only symptomatic treatment is carried out. For topical use, when it continues to pour, solutions of methylene blue, brilliant green, fukortsin, Calamine lotion, Castellani liquid, etc. can be used..

For moderate and severe chickenpox, antiviral (against the herpes virus) agents are prescribed orally (Acyclovir). Antipyretics (Paracetamol) are used as symptomatic therapy..

Antibiotics should be avoided as they have no effect on the virus. They are used only with proven accession of a bacterial infection..

Prevention Prevention of the disease consists in frequent ventilation and wet cleaning of the premises, isolation of the patient at home or in the hospital for 9 days from the onset of the disease.

An effective method of preventing chickenpox is vaccination. There are methods of specific prevention - vaccination against the varicella-zoster virus..

In a number of countries (Australia, Austria), this vaccination is included in the calendar of mandatory preventive vaccinations..

The chickenpox vaccine is recommended for people at risk. In vaccinated and recovered people, stable long-term immunity is formed for many years..

However, it should be remembered that the varicella-zoster virus in recovered patients is prone to persistence in the body, manifesting in adulthood or old age in the form of shingles.

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