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The Application of Epidemiological Concepts and Nursing Research to Chickenpox
NRS-428VN-0502
November 30, 2020
The Application of Epidemiological Concepts and Nursing Research to Chicken Pox
Introduction
Infectious diseases are widespread in conflict surroundings where they rapidly spread because of overcrowding, poor nutrition, and unhygienic environments. This paper will describe chicken pox in terms of its “causes, symptoms, mode of transmission, complications, treatment, demographic of interest, i.e., its mortality, incidence, morbidity, and prevalence. The paper will also discuss whether it is a reportable disease or not and provide details on reporting time and whom to report to in case it is reportable. The paper will also describe the social determinants of health and illustrate how they influence the development of Chickenpox, the epidemiologic triangle of Chickenpox, the role of the community health nurse, and the importance of demographic data to the community’s health. Finally, the paper will identify at least one national agency or organization that addresses Chickenpox, describe how the organization contributes to resolving Chickenpox's impact, and discuss a global implication of Chickenpox, how other countries address it, and whether it is endemic to a particular area.”
Description of Chickenpox
Causes
Chickenpox is a highly infectious disease instigated by a virus known as Varicella zoster. It is an extremely transmissible disease and produces a blister-like itchy rash throughout the body. This disease can be life-threatening, particularly in adults, adolescents, pregnant women, immunocompromised persons, and babies who had never received the chickenpox vaccine or had not had the disease before. These groups of individuals, when infected, encounter many health complications that might result in their death (Gershon et al., 2015).
Mode of transmission of Chickenpox
Chickenpox can be transmitted from one person to another through direct contact with an infected individual, aerosols coming from the vesicular fluids of the blisters, and breathing of respiratory secretions that are infected (Gershon et al., 2015).
Symptoms
Before the rashes appear, Chickenpox presents with malaise, fever, loss of appetite, muscle aches, headache, and nausea. After the rashes appear in one place, they spread throughout the body, spots appear in clusters and generally appear on the face, stomach, limbs, and chest. These spots are red, itchy, and small. Blisters then develop on the spots, which increases itchiness (Gershon, 2017). After approximately two days, the blisters cloud over and begin to dry out, forming a crust, and in ten days, the crusts drop on their own.
Complications
The complications associated with Chickenpox include encephalitis, sepsis, bacterial infections, pneumonia, hemorrhagic complications, and cerebellar ataxia (Gershon, 2017).
Treatment
Chickenpox disease is treated with antivirals since a virus causes it. The licensed antiviral medication for treating the disease is acyclovir, which works best when given earlier enough, if possible, within the first twenty-four hours after the first rash appearance (Gershon et al., 2015). Even though it has treatment, as the saying goes, “prevention is better than cure,’ it is better to prevent this infectious disease by immunization. The presence of a vaccine plays a significant role in preventing many people's spread and deaths globally.
Demographic of interest of Chickenpox
The prevalence of Chickenpox is different among different age groups. The varicella virus usually affects children below ten, with the highest prevalence among children aged between 1 to 4 years. The prevalence of the disease among children between 0 to 4 years is approximately 5234 cases per 100,000 people. The case fatality of the disease in the early 1990s was about 2 to 3 persons per 100,000 persons in the United States (Pollock, 2020).
For ages 5 to 9 years, approximately 4232 are infected among 100,000 people, 10 to 14 years have an incidence rate of 1404 per 100,000 people, 15 to 19 years old have an incidence rate of 610 per 100,000 persons, and the incidence rate in 20 years and above is approximately 175 people per 100,000 individuals (Pollock, 2020). On the other hand, the fatality rate of adults globally was between 20 to 25 adults per 100,000 before introducing a vaccine. The case mortality rates are higher in developing countries than in developed countries. The disease's prevalence decreases with age, with children being the most affected, and it is more prevalent in females aged 15 to 24 years than in males.
Social determinants of health and how they contribute to chickenpox development
The social determinants of health include socioeconomic, political status, cultural constructs, secure environmental conditions, accessibility to healthy foods, properly designed neighborhoods, accessible healthcare, and accessible education systems (Alder, 2016). These health determinants have a significant contribution to the development of chickenpox disease. Chickenpox affects both developing and developed countries; however, it is more common in developing countries with low socioeconomic status. These countries have inadequate safe drinking water, poor sanitation, inadequate housing, inadequate healthcare facilities, which are inaccessible to people from low social backgrounds. This prevents many families from accessing the chickenpox vaccine, thus higher prevalence of the disease in developing countries.
Moreover, most people's level of education in these countries is low due to inaccessibility to education because of lack of finances. This makes most of the residents lack the basic knowledge of this communicable disease and the importance of taking their children for immunization at an early age (Alder, 2016). Culture is also a contributing factor to Chickenpox's development in that immunization is against some cultures, and some cultures believe in traditional medicine to treat any kind of disease. Overcrowding, which is common in developing countries, facilitates the rapid spread of Chickenpox.
Age is another health determinant associated with the development of Chickenpox, which is a biological factor. Older people aged 20 years and above are at a higher risk of dying due to Chickenpox than children aged 1 to 4 years. For adults who have never been infected or those infected but the virus hid in their nerve cells, the virus causes a distinct, more critical condition referred to as shingles or herpes zoster, thus the importance of earlier vaccination.
The Epidemiologic Triangle of Chickenpox
As mentioned earlier, Chickenpox is caused by a virus agent, Varicella zoster, which affects mainly human beings, particularly those who have not received the chickenpox vaccine (Pollock, 2020). It does not have an animal host, and it is never totally cleared from the host's body. The infected individuals do present symptoms as earlier discussed, and the disease can cause some complications to the individuals. The disease is more critical in adults than in children, and adults are more likely to develop complications more than children can.
Chickenpox's favorable environment is an overcrowded area, and it is commonly spread during winter and early spring (Pollock, 2020). After exposure, varicella takes about 14 to 16 years to exhibit symptoms, and fever and malaise occur between one to two days before the onset of rash, especially in adults. However, in children, the rash appears immediately after the end of the incubation period. An infected person fully recovers from the disease between 7 to 10 days after the first symptoms' appearance.
Since Chickenpox is a highly contagious disease, it is considered a threat to the general public, especially school-going children. In the case of an outbreak, the local healthcare community should be informed, especially when the outbreak information is spread broadly (Pollock, 2020). Doing this helps curb the spread of the disease to the rest of the population. All schools should have chickenpox reporting instructions; for instance, all suspected and confirmed cases of infected students and teachers to be reported to the department of health.
The role of the community healthcare nurse in chickenpox outbreak and the importance of demographic data to the community’s health
Nurses have a significant role in public health, and they usually work in positions of responsibility in public health organizations. Community healthcare nurses enable the community to stay healthy by helping them develop, manage, and promote public health programs (Stanhope & Lancaster, 2019). When it comes to chickenpox outbreak, community healthcare nurses accentuate Chickenpox's preventive care by providing the community with basic education regarding the cause, spread, symptoms, complications, and ways to prevent it from spreading. The essential health education nurses provide to the community help reduce the disease, improve the community's quality of life, and facilitate reduced mortality and morbidity.
Community healthcare nurses work together with local healthcare departments and other agencies to provide the community with education regarding Chickenpox, study the health changes within the community's population, and work on initiatives to prevent the disease. By taking part in research studies, community healthcare nurses together with other healthcare professionals find cases of Chickenpox within the community, report to the department of health of the region, collect the data of the infected people, analyze, and then conduct a follow up (Stanhope & Lancaster, 2019). Community healthcare nurses help prevent Chickenpox and promote health by dispensing chickenpox vaccination in schools, drug stores, childcare centers, and doctor’s offices.
The demographic information the community nurses collect provides the community with the information they require to plan for the future in case of an outbreak and other healthcare services that would fight the disease. The demographic data also helps determine those eligible for Federal aid, target places for assistance programs, and the overall implementation and design of community-wide healthcare initiatives executed to promote proper health practices.
A National Agency that addresses Chickenpox and how it contributes to resolving the impact of the disease
Another organization that addresses Chickenpox is “The National Shingles Foundations,” a not-for-profit public charity organization that publicizes information and solicits finances for varicella-zoster virus research. The organization serves as an information center for thousands of people suffering from varicella-zoster, their physicians, and their families (“National Shingles Foundation,” 2020). Additionally, the organization sponsors international scientific conferences on varicella-zoster and honors research grants to diverse research characteristics of the disease.
A global implication of Chickenpox. How it is addressed in other countries. Whether it is endemic to a particular area with an example
The global impact of Chickenpox can no longer be regarded as insignificant. The higher prevalence of the disease in childhood and adulthood and the substantially higher rates of complications in adults are common implications of the disease. Moreover, the complications associated with the disease results in a high mortality rate of adults globally. Before developing the chickenpox vaccine, many children and adults caught the disease, and most of them died, as mentioned earlier. Since the disease is more severe in adults, the disease complications cause a high global mortality rate.
Other countries address the high mortality and morbidity rate of Chickenpox by introducing the varicella-zoster vaccination program, which focuses on reducing the disease's spread throughout the countries, thus reducing the mortality rate. These countries establish education programs where the community is taught about the disease and how they can prevent it from entering the community to reduce the morbidity and mortality rate. Regarding vaccination, the countries ensure that every child is vaccinated, and families are taught the essence of vaccinating their children against the disease.
Chickenpox is a global pandemic affecting many regions worldwide, with the current endemic spread in regions with a large population that can support the transmission of the varicella-zoster virus. These countries with large populations are mainly in developing countries, for instance, Afghanistan and American Samoa.
Conclusion
Even though the chickenpox vaccine has played a significant role in managing the disease, more work is still required to improve education on the disease and its implications on individuals and the world. Particularly adults who are at risk and have not had the disease nor vaccinated against the disease should be taught the dangers of the virus and their risks for developing herpes zoster. The community healthcare nurse plays a significant role in disease tracking and comparing data to establish risk factors, advocate for the vaccine, and educate community members on the vaccine's availability and safety.
References
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Gershon, A. A. (2017). Is Chickenpox so bad What do we know about immunity to varicella
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National Foundation for Infectious Diseases. National Foundation for Infectious Diseases. (2020). Retrieved 28 November 2020, from https://www.nfid.org/.
National Shingles Foundation - NORD (National Organization for Rare Disorders). NORD (National Organization for Rare Disorders). (2020). Retrieved 28 November 2020, from https://rarediseases.org/organizations/national-shingles-foundation.
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