Summary
Until 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 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
- The Varicella-Zoster Virus
- Chicken Pox in Infants and Adults
- Treatment
- How Is Chicken Pox Prevented?
- What Is Shingles?
- Future Prospects and Concerns.
Specifications
Full-color photographs and illustrations. Sidebars. Further reading. References. Glossary. Diagrams. Endnotes. Web sites. Index.
About the Author(s)
Patrick G. Guilfoile, Ph.D., earned his doctorate 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. He is a professor of biology at Bemidji State University in Minnesota, where he is also an associate dean. His most recent research has 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. Guilfoile also wrote Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria, Tetanus, and Diphtheria in Chelsea House's Deadly Diseases and Epidemics series.
Foreword by David Heymann, World Health Organization