Summary
Until relatively recently, chicken pox was a rite of passage for children and was often looked upon as just a nuisance, although this illness can cause complications in some people. Though the development and use of a chicken pox vaccine has reduced the number of chicken pox cases, the unvaccinated remain vulnerable. In addition, shingles, a painful condition that can arise after an initial chicken pox infection, is a concern, particularly in older people. Chicken Pox, Second Edition presents an overview of this disease caused by a herpesvirus known as the varicella-zoster virus, explaining the signs and symptoms of the disease, how it spreads, how it is treated, and how the development of a vaccine has affected the incidence of chicken pox.
Chapters include:
- What Is Chicken Pox?
- The History of Chicken Pox
- Chicken Pox in Young Children
- Chicken Pox in Infants and Adults
- How Is Chicken Pox Diagnosed and Treated?
- How Is Chicken Pox Prevented?
- What Is Shingles?
- The Future of Chicken Pox and Shingles.
About the Author(s)
Patrick Guilfoile earned his Ph.D. in bacteriology at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. He subsequently did postdoctoral research at that institution, as well as at the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Following over 20 years as a faculty member and administrator at Bemidji State University, he served as provost and then interim chancellor at the University of Wisconsin-Stout. His most recent research focused on the molecular genetics of ticks and other parasites. He has authored or coauthored more than 20 papers in scientific and biology education journals. He has also written several other books in this series, along with a molecular biology laboratory manual, and a book on controlling ticks that transmit Lyme disease.
Foreword by David Heymann, World Health Organization