Health experts for adopting preventive measures against chickenpox

Islamabad

Medical practitioners Sunday advised the citizens to take special preventive measures to protect children from carrying Varicella virus (chickenpox).

According to medical experts, chickenpox is a viral illness characterized by a very itchy red rash, and is one of the most common infectious diseases of childhood. They said 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 chickenpox favours no race or gender and is so contagious that few non-immunized people escape this common disease when they are exposed to someone else with chickenpox.

He said between 75 per cent and 90 per cent of cases occur in children under 10 years of age and the disease is usually spread through sneezing, coughing, and breathing. He said it can also be transmitted from direct contact with the open sores while clothing, bedding, and objects to which the patient is exposed are not usually hazards.

Dr Khawaja said 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 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 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 vesicles may also appear in the mouth, on the scalp and around the eyes and can be very painful. He said this cycle repeats itself in new areas of the body until finally, after about two weeks, all of the sores have healed. He said the disease is contagious until all the spots have dried up. He said most cases of chickenpox require little or no treatment beyond treating the symptoms.

Dr Sharif Astori from Federal Government Poly Clinic (FGPC) said the prescription antiviral 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 said the doctor may recommend painkiller and an antihistamine to relieve pain, itching and swelling. He said antibiotics are called for if a secondary bacterial skin infection arises or if the person with chickenpox develops bacterial pneumonia.

He said chickenpox is accompanied by severe skin pains and the rash produces a greenish discharge and the surrounding skin becomes red, which are signs of a secondary bacterial skin infection. He said that chickenpox is accompanied by a stiff neck, persistent sleepiness or lethargy as these are symptoms of a more serious illness such as meningitis or encephalitis.