1. The Chicken Pox

2. What is the Chicken pox? • Chickenpox is a viral infection in which a person develops extremely itchy blisters all over the body. • It is extremely common in children under 12. • Once you have it, the virus remains dormant.

3. Signs and Symptoms • a red, itchy skin rash and insect-like bites that usually appears first on the abdomen or back and face, and then spreads to almost everywhere else on the body. • Flu-like symptoms: high fever, abdominal pain, sore throat, headache.

4. Causes / how it spreads • Chickenpox is caused by the varicella-zoster virus, a member of the herpesvirus family. • You may get chickenpox from touching the fluids from a chickenpox blister, or if someone with the disease coughs or sneezes near you. • A person with chickenpox become contagious 1 to 2 days before their blisters appear and lasts until all the blisters have crusted over.

5. Treatments / Remedy: • Vaccine: a vaccine can be given to a child. 85% effective. • Antibiotics can be given to a child if his/her sores become infected. • In the end, time is the only thing that fully cures it. • Ways to help make illness more comfortable: • calamine lotion • oatmeal or warm baths • Bland food if pox are in the mouth • NEVER USE ASPRIN!: Use of aspirin while having chicken pox has been associated with a serious condition called Reyes Syndrome.

6. What to do as a teacher to prevent and handle chicken pox in the classroom: • If an outbreak occurs, have all children checked for symptoms. • Remind parents to have their child vaccinated. • Make sure the child with chickenpox be kept out of school until all blisters have dried, usually about 1 week. • make sure your students wash their hands frequently, particularly before eating and after using the bathroom.

7. Works Cited: Dowshen, MD, Steven. "Chickenpox." KidsHealth. The Nemours Foundation, Nov. 2009. Web. 27 Jan. 2012. <http://kidshealth.org/parent/infections/skin/chicken_pox.html>. "Chickenpox - PubMed Health." National Library of Medicine. 2 Aug. 2011. Web. 27 Jan. 2012. <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0002559/>.