Medical experts warn of chickenpox outbreak

Call for immunisation against the childhood disease

ISLAMABAD: Warning of a possible outbreak, medical experts on Sunday advised citizens to take special preventive measures to protect children from carrying varicella virus (chickenpox).

They said that chickenpox is a viral illness characterised by a very itchy red rash, and is one of the most common infectious diseases of childhood.

They said that it is usually mild in children but there is a risk of serious complications, such as bacterial pneumonia.

Dr Waseem Khawaja from Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) said that chickenpox favours no race or gender and is so contagious that few non-immunised people escape this common disease when they are exposed to someone else with chickenpox.

He added between 75 per cent and 90 per cent of cases occur in children under 10 years of age and the disease usually spreads through sneezing, coughing, and breathing.

He said that it can also be transmitted from direct contact with open sores while clothing, bedding, and objects to which the patient is exposed are not usually hazardous

Dr Khawaja said that a patient with chickenpox can transmit the disease from about two days before the appearance of the spots to the end of the blister stage, which lasts about five to seven days.

Once dry scabs form, the disease is unlikely to spread, he added. He said that people who have had chickenpox almost always develop lifetime immunity; however, the virus remains dormant in the body and it can reactivate later in life and cause shingles.

He said that chickenpox appears as a very itchy rash that spreads from the torso to the neck, face and limbs. Lasting seven to 10 days, the rash progresses from red bumps to fluid-filled blisters (vesicles) that drain and scab over, he added.

He said that vesicles may also appear in the mouth, on the scalp and around the eyes and can be very painful. He said that this cycle repeats itself in new areas of the body until finally, after about two weeks all of the sores have healed.

He said that the disease is contagious until all the spots have dried up. He said that most cases of chickenpox require little or no treatment beyond treating the symptoms.

Dr Sharif Astori from Federal Government Polyclinic (FGPC) said that   the prescription anti-viral drug is effective for shortening the duration of chickenpox symptoms and may be recommended for certain people with chickenpox, such as pregnant women, those with a weakened immune system, and adults who seek medical advice within 24 hours of the rash appearing.

He added the doctor may recommend pain killer and an antihistamine to relieve pain, itching and swelling. Antibiotics are called for if a secondary bacterial skin infection arises or if the person with chickenpox develops bacterial pneumonia, he added.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 12^th, 2017.