What type of pathogen causes the common cold & chicken pox?

Varicella-zoster is a herpes virus that causes chickenpox, a common childhood illness. It is highly contagious. 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.

What secondary virus is caused by the chicken pox virus?

If you’ve had chickenpox, you’re at risk of a complication called shingles. The varicella-zoster virus remains in your nerve cells after the skin infection has healed. Many years later, the virus can reactivate and resurface as shingles — a painful cluster of short-lived blisters.

Can Chicken Pox be caused by a virus?

Varicella-zoster virus (VZV) causes the chickenpox infection. Most cases occur through contact with an infected person. The virus is contagious to those around you for one to two days before your blisters appear. VZV remains contagious until all blisters have crusted over.

What type of viral infection is chicken pox classified as?

Chickenpox is a highly contagious illness caused by the varicella-zoster virus (VZV), a type of herpes virus. It is often a mild illness, characterized by an itchy rash on the face, scalp and trunk with pink spots and tiny fluid-filled blisters that dry and become scabs four to five days later.

When is chickenpox infectious?

A person with chickenpox is considered contagious beginning 1 to 2 days before rash onset until all the chickenpox lesions have crusted (scabbed). Vaccinated people who get chickenpox may develop lesions that do not crust. These people are considered contagious until no new lesions have appeared for 24 hours.

How does the immune system response to chickenpox?

After causing chickenpox, the virus settles down in some of our nerve cells. It can become active many years later to cause the rash and pain of the disease commonly called “shingles.” When the virus reactivates, the immune system typically attacks it again and beats it back into a quiet state.

What is secondary prevention of chickenpox?

Primary prevention of congenital varicella syndrome consists of effective vaccination of the mother before conception, while secondary prevention involves the use in susceptible pregnant women of varicella-zoster immune globulin, a specific IgG antibody against varicella-zoster virus, after exposure.