When Childhood Diseases Happen To Adults

As any Pediatrician knows there are a host of childhood diseases, most of which are relatively harmless and most children quickly hurdle through these unscathed. Rest and fluids are a pretty must all around cure for many things that ail children including measles and chicken pox. The double edged nature of some of these childhood diseases is the troublesome and often fatal blow they deal adults later in life. This is also the main reason many kids who escape the diseases as a child, receive vaccinations before the start into their adult lives.

Chickenpox can sometimes be troublesome to adults. When a child gets chickenpox, it is not as threatening. It is brought on by the herpes zoster virus and brings with it puss filled bumps that itch relentlessly a long with a mild fever. It also comes and goes in seven days or less and usually leaves a few little pox marks or scars behind in the aftermath.

For women, especially pregnant women, chickenpox can be more destructive and can be responsible for serious illness to her unborn child if the illness is contract during pregnancy and not during childhood. This occurrence is rare, but it does happen. To help remedy the chances of this happening, a chicken pox vaccine has been developed for women who never had the illness and want to ensure they have immunity, just in case they become pregnant.

The herpes zoster stain of the herpes virus not only causes chicken pox, it also causes the adult condition known as shingles and the chicken pox immunity has been known to be less effective in some cases. Shingles can present itself in two very different extreme forms; mild and not very painful with a few bump groups, and the more severe extremely painful cases triggered by stress and is accompanied by a blistery, blotchy and itchy rash.

Any child doctor is familiar with the variety of childhood diseases, but also know that most do little harm to the child. Childhood chicken pox is one such disease that is considered mild, unless it is contracted in adulthood and can prove to be quite serious. Don't be mislead into believing that if you had chicken pox as a child you have nothing to worry about in regards to the herpes zoster strain virus. This strain is also responsible for shingles that is considered an adult condition. You can never completely escape the itchy nasty rash of herpes zoster, even in the adult years.