Chicken Pox, Essay Example

Chicken pox is an infectious disease that is caused by the virus herpes varicella, and it is immensely contagious especially in its nascent stages. The disease can also be mild, although in serious cases it can spawn birth defects and/or pneumonia in unborn children if pregnant mothers are exposed to it during their first trimester of pregnancy. Chicken pox used to be a common disease in pediatric patients during late childhood, although adults and adolescents are not immune from it. Since vaccination has recently emerged as the norm in children the disease has become much less common (Brunnall, 2005). Children who are older than a year are encouraged to be immunized, and individuals who are over twelve years old who lack immunity and/or have never been exposed to the chicken pox should also get the vaccine. Getting the chicken pox during adulthood is far more severe and can render adult patients unconscious. Moreover, patients over the age of fifty are encouraged to get the vaccine again (Lee, 1998). Nurses manage cases of chicken pox on an idiosyncratic basis predicated on the condition of the patient in addition to the symptoms that patients present with.

Incubation period for chicken pox is two to three weeks upon exposure when the patient usually feels quite warm but does not have a fever. Patients first exhibit typical symptoms associated with viral infection, as they are lethargic, weak, have a small fever, and have a persistent runny nose. In more serious cases, patients suffer from nausea, dizziness, pain in their joints, and acute headaches. Days later redness of the skin develops on the abdomen, buttocks, or chest, and facial and member movements germinate thereafter (Venkitaraman & John, 1984). Approximately five days after the onset of the rash and scabbing blisters appear, patients should be placed in quarantine. They still need to shower frequently in order to keep germs away from the skin which could cause further complications. Nursing diagnosis of the chicken pox is manifold and includes hyperthermia because chicken pox causes the patient’s body temperature to become elevated; impairment of the epidermis’ integrity, which relates to stress, friction, and tearing along with a host of other mechanical factors; risk for infection as a result of skin tissue being compromised, a dearth of knowledge regarding treatment and conditions related to the malady; and distorted body image as a result of skin lesions (Nettleman & Schmid, 1997).

Infection prevention is the primary strategy in addressing chicken pox in order to effectively prevent the disease from spreading. It is spread via direct contact, and red blisters often signify that a patient has the disease. Coming into contact with the fluid contained within the red blisters also can cause the disease to spread. Wet dressings, clothing, and/or bedding that contain the liquid after draining the blisters also function as vacuum through which the chicken pox infects others. If an infected individual sneezes or coughs, causing droplets to spray into the air, others can incur the malady. As a result, nurses must wear protective gloves in order to change dressings or the bed sheets in addition to coming into contact with infected clients. A mask must be worn at all times by the nurse, although for extra caution the patient is also asked to don a mask. One of the main symptoms of chicken pox is intense itching, which is why itching must be treated immediately. Patients who scratch the blisters and lesions can cause a bacterial infection in open wounds or excoriate the skin. Nurses should clip their patient’s nails to be as short as possible and galvanize their patients to wash their hands frequently. Antihistamines are often also recommended in addition to skin lotions that are moisturizing such as calamine in order to minimize the intense itching. Baking soda or colloidal oatmeal mixed into bath water can also be used to abate itching.

As with every infectious disease, there are a variety of secondary complications that arise in patients suffering from chicken pox, including sepsis, pneumonia, and encephalitis, or brain inflammation. These complications are serious, and in certain cases, can cause death. While antiviral antibiotics are taken for the disease, nurses can also administer intravenous fluids or antibiotics in order to minimize harmful complications. While medications are also prescribed in order to combat high fever, aspirin should never be taken because ingestion could cause Reye’s syndrome, which is a serious health condition in which the brain and the liver swell. Nurses must be vigilant in monitoring patient symptoms that may signify complications, as a moist cough may be symptomatic of early onset pneumonia. Because nurses have a duty to their patients to educate them regarding their conditions, they must encourage their patients to adopt a healthy diet and drink fluids frequently. Because patients afflicted by chicken pox often develop painful mouth sores, nurses should encourage patients to eat soft foods that are easy to masticate and swallow. It must be noted that the chicken pox vaccination loses its efficacy in patients who are already afflicted, although there is another vaccine that can be taken in order to prevent complications from arising such as shingles (Nettleman & Schmid, 1997).

References

Brunall, P.A. (2005). Principles and practice of infectious disease, in Whitney, R.J., Mandell, G.L., Bennett, J.E., & Dolin, R, (eds.). Varicella-Zoster virus. Churchill Livingstone: Philadelphia Pennsylvania. 1780–1785.

Lee, B.W. (1998). Review of varicella zoster seroepidemiology in India and Southeast Asia. Tropical Medicine of International Health, 3, 886–890.

Nettleman, M.D. & Schmid, M. (1997). Controlling varicella in the healthcare setting: The cost effectiveness of using varicella vaccine in healthcare workers. Infectious Control of Hospital Epidemiology,18, 504–508.

Venkitaraman, A., & John, T.J. (1984). The epidemiology of varicella in staff and students of a hospital in the tropics. International Journal of Epidemiology, 13, 502–505.