Epidemiology of Chickenpox

Communities are sometimes largely unaware that social factors rather than medical ones, such as income, and employment status, shape our health. Our health is also determined by the health and social services we receive, and our ability to attain high education levels, food and safe housing, among other factors.

Health as a whole is determined by the quality of life, as well as an individuals’ ability to create personal positive social and physical environments. These environments include homes, schools, workplaces and the community as a whole. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO, 2003), the social determinants of health are conditions in which people live, work, and grow, where these factors are influenced by money, power and available resources. There are five main aspects of social determinants: economic stability, social/community health, general health, education, and the surrounding built environment, where each determinant refers to multiple key issues. These determinants commonly affect health, the functioning of people, their quality of life, as well as social, economic and physical risks. Examples of social determinants include:

The determinants of health are economic and social conditions that affect people’s health status. These influence the living and working conditions that impacts people’s everyday living condition. Factors such as the place and the environment we live in, genetics, educational level or work status and income, as well as friends and family are some of the aspects that affects our health condition. On the other hand, the people that have an access to good health care and have financial stability are less susceptible and are often less affected. (NANB, 2009)

“The social determinants of health are the conditions in which people are born, grow, work, live, and age, and the wider set of forces and systems shaping the conditions of daily life” (World Health Organisation (WHO), 2009). The social determinants of health can be divided into 5 categories, age, sex and hereditary factors, individual lifestyle factors, social and community networks, living and working conditions and general socioeconomic, cultural and

The social determinants of health are the circumstances that impact and surround people, since are born, grow, work, live, and age, education, income, race and gender, and the broader set of powers and systems that shaping the circumstances of daily life. It is important because it impacts all aspect of daily life of people, and it caused direct and indirect health problems.

Social determinants are regarded as the life you were born in i.e. your ethnicity, age ,gender etc. this also links to the determinant factors i.e. environment, economic, social status and lifestyle (REFERENCE) Social determinant of health strongly impact on the health outcome of individuals Many health researchers regard social position as the fundamental cause of health (REFERENCE). Social determinant can influence the care and support each individual received in order to manage their diabetes. Living in a deprived area where there is no availability of community based resources, ‘men and women of working age in the most deprived population groups are twice as likely to die prematurely as those who are relatively affluent;’(Inequality in Health and Social care use 2003) therefore you have to access healthcare services outside the area, this can stop individuals from seeking treatment as they might not have bus fare or access to a private car.(Reference).The impact of austerity cuts also impact on individuals of the

The person that has the shingles has the virus infection and if the blister have not begun to heal and fluid inside leaks or drain and they come in contact with someone who has never had the chicken pox you will then pass the virus varicella zoster that causes chickenpox. If you have had chickenpox you will never have to worry about catching the chickenpox but you are now acceptable to get shingles later in life. As you get older you will want to prevent yourself from getting shingles so you can go to your physician ask to get the vaccine that helps to prevent the shingles from becoming active. Patients that are 55 and over needs to get the vaccine Azzurx this vaccine treatment this is an antiviral medicine that will stop you from acquiring shingles and also treat simplex herpes virus. Without the vaccine you may have reoccurrence of shingles and it can even be more painful than the first episode. So when u reach a certain age you should consider getting the vaccination cause it is recommended if you get it you will reduces the chances of getting shingles and will be less painful and heal faster. The physician will administer this vaccine shot in the arm it may cause pain, soreness and swelling afterwards. It is recommended that if you are around the age 60 or after have been infected with shingles you should

Once a person has had the chickenpox, the virus will lay dormant in the nerve tissue near your spinal cord and brain. The most likely individuals that will have an outbreak are people who are over 50 years of age, people who have a

Avian influenza is a disease that has been wreaking havoc on human populations since the 16th century. With the recent outbreak in 1997 of a new H5N1 avian flu subtype, the world has begun preparing for a pandemic by looking upon its past affects. In the 20th Century, the world witnessed three pandemics in the years of 1918, 1957, and 1968. In 1918 no vaccine, antibiotic, or clear recognition of the disease was known. Killing over 40 million in less than a year, the H1N1 strain ingrained a deep and lasting fear of the virus throughout the world. Though 1957 and 1968 brought on milder pandemics, they still killed an estimated 3 million people and presented a new

Are there steps that a nurse can take to break a link within the communicable disease chain? Give a specific example.

The person should avoid scratching or rubbing the itchy areas and keep their fingernails short to avoid damaging the skin. The infected person should avoid prolonged exposure to excessive heat and humidity. The use of over- the counter antihistamines or hydrocortisone creams may be recommended for itch relief. Some doctors may prescribe antivirals if the rash began within 24 hours. Antiviral medication is not usually prescribed to otherwise healthy children who do not have severe symptoms. Antivirals are usually prescribed to high-risk groups whom are prone to severe symptoms such as eczema, lung conditions, or who immunocompromised individuals. The infected person should also be advised to avoid aspirin due to association with a serious condition called Reyes syndrome or Ibuprofen due to the association of more severe secondary infections. Tylenol is recommended for fever relief. Some complications that can occur are bacterial infections secondary to scratching, encephalitis, pneumonia and death. The preventions of chickenpox are acquired by vaccination with the varicella vaccine in children, adolescents, and adults, and the herpes zoster vaccine for persons of 60 and older (Maurer&Smith). The Centers for Disease and controls estimates that 95% of Americans will have chickenpox by the time they reach adulthood. The CDC also estimates that there are 4 million cases with a100 deaths and 9300 hospitalizations a

Acting in different levels, from micro to macro, those determinants have effect in a complex interplay of a multidirectional flow between the individual and the social scope. They are normally and roughly grouped into categories, such as individual factors interpersonal factors, institutional and community environments, broader social, economic and political influences. That concept allows explain why some people and groups are at higher risk for develop some diseases instead of others, and that is a very important key for a better understanding of its prevalence and to design more effective prevention strategies.

An array of factors like personal, social, economic, and environment issues influence and determines the health of individual and population, acting in various combination (Knickman & Kovner, 2015). These determinants of health, known as population health determinants generally include genetics, access to health care, individual behavior, social determinant, physical environment (Knickman & Kovner, 2015).

Before vaccines were introduced, varicella was endemic in the United States, and virtually all persons acquired varicella at some point before adulthood (cdc.gov, 2006). It is reported that 4 million cases of chickenpox were recorded in the U.S. each year before the vaccine was introduced. Although some states reported cases of varicella to the CDC, it was eliminated from the list of nationally notifiable conditions in 1981. Children under 10 years of age make up between 75 – 90 % of chickenpox cases. In 1995, due to the availability of the vaccine in the U.S., hospitalizations due to chickenpox has declined by nearly 90% (Hambleton, & Gershon, 2005).

For the 22 years the chickenpox vaccine has been available in the US, vaccination has already considerably reduced the total number of deaths and the medical costs for treating chickenpox. Prior to the development of the vaccine in 1995 chickenpox affected about 3.9 million people each year in the United States. About 90 percent of cases occur in children under age 10, primarily in winter and spring. Since the vaccine was introduced, there has been a steady decline in cases of chickenpox. The availability of a safe and effective varicella vaccine has reduced the impact of the disease substantially.