Health Tip: Know the Risks of Chicken Pox

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Chicken pox used to be a rite of passage for young children. But with the development of the chicken pox vaccine, the vast majority of kids avoid this itchy and painful illness.

While most people who develop chicken pox will recover completely without issue, it can be serious — and even deadly — for babies, teens, even adults, as well as pregnant women, and people with weak immune systems, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Receiving two doses of the chicken pox vaccine is the best way to prevent infection.

The CDC recommends that all children get the vaccine and warns of the following complications that can arise if you do develop chicken pox:

• Bacterial infections of the skin and soft tissues in children, including Group A streptococcal infections.
• Pneumonia.
• Infection or inflammation of the brain (encephalitis, cerebellar ataxia).
• Bleeding problems.
• Bloodstream infections (sepsis).
• Dehydration.
• Death.

Source: HealthDay

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