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Mumbai India – Chickenpox on the Rise

Chickenpox cases on the rise, even adults not spared

MUMBAI: After the cold wave-induced respiratory infections, it’s chickenpox now in Mumbai. Hard to believe, but doctors say the disease is not restricted to the summer anymore.

“It started about two weeks ago. Chickenpox is quite unusual for this time of the year, as earlier it used to hit the city towards mid-April,” said Dr Vasant Nagvekar, general practitioner and consulting physician at Lilavati Hospital.

“I have been diagnosing five to six fresh cases of chickenpox daily,” said paediatrician Dr Sharad Menon who runs Sheetal Children’s Hospital. “This may be due to the fact that my area of practice, Kurla, is highly congested and has a huge number of children. Also many of the kids are not vaccinated against chickenpox, as it is costly,” he said.

Susan Abraham first noticed rashes on her six-year-old daughter Vinisha’s hand a week ago. “I found out that several students in her class have got chickenpox. The doctor has advised at least a fortnight’s rest,” said Abraham.

Even adults haven’t been spared the highly contagious disease, which spreads through direct contact or breathing in germs from someone’s cough or sneeze. “I am currently treating four adult patients from the Goregaon and Bandra area,” said Dr Nagvekar.

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Male Adult Chickenpox Picture

This is a picture of a male adult with chickenpox. Perhaps he was not vaccinated when young, but as you can see the chickenpox pustules are all over his body and one can only imagine how they itch. If you are an adult and have not been vaccinated you should consult your doctor.

Is The Chickenpox Vaccine Effective?

In Texas today it was reported by the AP that the number of cases is up by 41% even though vaccination is required.

Chicken pox cases up despite vaccine

© 2008 The Associated Press

SAN ANTONIO — Texas recorded a 41 percent increase in cases of chicken pox from 2005 to 2006, despite an eight-year-old requirement that children be vaccinated before they can enter kindergarten.

Texas enacted the vaccine requirement for the 2000-2001 school year, but has not mandated a booster for children between the ages of 4 and 6.

A federal advisory committee recommended last year that children get the second dose, after an initial dose at age 1. Texas Department of State Health Services officials said they will study the booster this spring to decide if it too should be required in schools and day care centers.

San Antonio pediatrician Dr. Dianna Burns said she has started seeing a few cases of the virus this season, which normally lasts from late winter through spring. She said most parents agree when she offers the booster.

“The problem is, we’ve had a shortage of the chickenpox vaccine,” Burns said. “That hit us just about at the beginning of school. We’ve had to prioritize to make sure everybody had at least one dose, so we prioritize toward the front.”

Chicken pox, known medically as varicella, is a viral illness marked by a low-grade fever and small blisters that break open and crust. Children with the virus are normally asked to stay home from school for a few days while they’re contagious.

Shirley Schreiber, director of health services with the Northside Independent School District in San Antonio, said vaccinated students who get chicken pox end up staying home the same number of days as they would have without the vaccine.

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