More cases likely in coming days’

Srinagar, Mar 23: Day after Greater Kashmir reported the outbreak of chickenpox in the National Institute of Technology here, the health authorities came out with a confirmation.
Doctors said there could be a few more cases in the coming week but there is “nothing to feel panicky because chickenpox is a self-resolving disease.”
“Some students are likely to have contracted the disease from the already infected students and are susceptible to develop the illness,” said Dr Salim Khan, who was part of a team of doctors from Social and Preventive Medicine department of Government Medical College (GMC) that visited the NIT today.
Dr Dildar Ahmad and Dr Khursheed Ahmad were other doctors in the team who assessed the situation in NIT.
Confirming the disease among three non-Kashmiri students the doctors said claimed that there was no threat to other students as the affected students have been isolated and will be non-infective in two to three days. The doctors urged the authorities concerned of the NIT to educate students about various aspects of the disease.
Four students of the Institute were infected by the chickenpox disease. While three outside students (names withheld) have been kept in a separate ward of the Medical Unit in the campus, the Kashmiri student was shifted to home by his family members.
The registrar of the NIT, A R Bhat on Saturday told Greater Kashmir that students were infected with smallpox.
“It (disease) is chickenpox. Small pox was declared eradicated by the World Health Organization in 1979 and since then no case has been reported,” Dr Salim said.
The authorities in the NIT told Greater Kashmir that the affected students were provided the “required” medical treatment. A team of doctors from Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Science also visited the campus and provided the medical treatment to the ill students,” said Registrar, NIT, AR Bhat.

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Srinagar, Mar 22: A contagious disease, chickenpox, has broken out in the National Institute of Technology (NIT) here while the health authorities expressed ignorance about the infection.
Four outside students of the Institute have been infected by the chickenpox disease, a medico told Greater Kashmir on Saturday.
While three outside students (names withheld) have been kept in a separate ward of the Medical Unit in the Institute campus to prevent other students from catching the disease, a Kashmiri student was taken home by his family members. “Don’t enter the ward, there are students infected by chickenpox,” the medico told this reporter.
He said the students were provided medical treatment and might recover in a week or 10 days. “We can’t shift them to any hospital as they are to be kept alone to prevent the disease from spreading,” the medico said.
A doctor wishing anonymity said the disease broke out a week ago. “An outside student who returned from winter vacation was infected by the disease. The nature of the disease was confirmed by a doctor of the medical unit in the campus,” the doctor said.
He said since the disease is highly infectious and the authorities failed to provide proper treatment to the student, it spread to his three other colleagues.
He said a Kashmiri student was also infected but was shifted to home by parents for proper treatment. “The immediate requirement is to shift the infected students to hospital for proper treatment and prevent the disease from spreading in the campus,” he said.
A team of doctors also arrived from the Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Science (SKIMS) Soura to treat the students. The doctors suggested the authorities to keep the students in a separate ward.
According to the doctor, the medical unit of the campus lacks proper infrastructure for treating the disease. “The disease can take the shape of an epidemic and spread to other students and especially the children of many families residing in the campus if proper treatment isn’t given to the patients,” the doctor said.
Chickenpox is a highly contagious viral illness that is common in children and is caused by the varicella-zoster virus (VZV), also known as human herpes virus 3 (HHV-3), one of the eight herpes viruses known to affect humans. The infections is characterized by fever and itchy, red spots usually appearing on the chest and stomach first, then appearing in crops over the entire body.
When contacted, director health said they had no information about the spread of the disease. “There is a doctor in the campus of the institute. He should have informed us,” the director said.
Registrar of NIT, AR Bhat however said the students were infected by smallpox. “We are providing proper treatment to the students,” Bhat said.

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03/18/2008 12:41 AM | By Dina El Shammaa, Staff Reporter

Abu Dhabi: Even though chickenpox is common these days, it is not an outbreak throughout the UAE; but simply a seasonal illness, said doctors.

Chickenpox is a contagious disease caused by a virus Varicella/herpes zoster. It is spread from child to child, and sometimes to adults, by sneezing, coughing, contaminated clothing and direct contact with open blisters. Children exposed to the virus get chickenpox from 7 to 21 days.

“There is no outbreak of chickenpox in the UAE. It spreads in certain months, and in other months it is non-existent. It’s a seasonal illness and it’s time to spread is these days,” confirmed Dr Zainab Khazaal, Acting Director of Preventive Medicine, Abu Dhabi Health Services Company (SEHA).

According to Dr Aigaz Lone, General Practitioner, National Hospital, Chickenpox in the UAE is growing at an alarming rate, especially among labourers.

Sick leave

Lone feels there is a kind of outbreak of chickenpox in the UAE from the increasing number of patients he has recently encountered. “Out of 30 patients, two are usually diagnosed with chickenpox. Almost every day we come across patients with chickenpox. It is mostly common among labourers. People should be very careful. We usually give those who catch the disease a ten-day sick leave,” said Lone.

In the past month, Lone has seen roughly 10 cases of people with chickenpox, mostly among adult labourers between the ages of 25 to 35 years old.

According to medical specialists, a chickenpox vaccine is the best way to prevent the illness. Vaccination not only protects the person, it also reduces the risk of exposure for persons unable to be vaccinated because of illness or other conditions, including those who may be at greater risk.

While no vaccine is 100 per cent effective in preventing the disease, the chickenpox vaccine is very effective: about eight to nine of every ten people who are vaccinated are completely protected from chickenpox. In addition, the vaccine almost always prevents against severe disease.

If a vaccinated person does get chickenpox, it is usually a very mild case lasting only a few days and involves fewer skin lesions, usually less than 50, mild fever, and few other symptoms.

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The CDC has put together some good information on travel and the risks of disease and illness. Here is an excerpt from their site on travel and Chickenpox. For the full article you can visit the link at the end of the story.

Description

Varicella (chickenpox) is the primary infection with the varicella zoster virus (VZV). It is a highly contagious rash illness transmitted by airborne or droplet pathways. The usual incubation period is 14-16 days (range 10-21 days). Second cases of varicella have been reported in immunocompetent persons but are rare. Following varicella, VZV establishes latency in sensory nerve ganglia. The virus can reactivate later in life, causing herpes zoster (shingles), usually localized to one to three dermatomes. Transmission of VZV to a susceptible person occurs through contact with either a person with varicella or, less commonly, a person with herpes zoster.

Occurrence

Before introduction of varicella vaccine in the United States in 1995, varicella was endemic, with virtually all persons being infected by adulthood. Since implementation of the varicella vaccination program, incidence has declined in all age groups, with the greatest decline among children aged 1-4 years. Data from passive and active surveillance have indicated a decline in varicella cases of 70%-84% from 1995 through 2001 (1-3). The downward trend in varicella has continued in the United States through 2005 with an approximately 90% decline in incidence from 1995 in active surveillance sites with high vaccine coverage (CDC, unpublished data).

Risk for Travelers

Varicella and herpes zoster occur worldwide, but varicella vaccine is routinely used for vaccination of children in only some countries, including the United States, Uruguay, Qatar, Australia, Canada, Germany and South Korea. The risk of varicella infection for travelers coming to the United States is lower than for travel anywhere else in the world. However, VZV is still widely circulating in the United States. Additionally, exposure to herpes zoster, while less common than varicella, poses a risk for varicella infection. In temperate climates, in the absence of vaccination, most varicella cases are reported among preschool- and school-aged children during winter and spring. Studies suggest that in tropical areas VZV infection occurs later during childhood and adolescence resulting in higher susceptibility among adults compared with temperate climates (2). Reasons for this difference in disease epidemiology are unclear. They may relate to the agent’s heat lability and/or to factors such as the tendency for less indoor crowding in tropical regions.

For more on International travel from the CDC

Chickenpox scare rerun on same flight

KOLKATA: In a bizarre repeat of Tuesday’s fiasco, another passenger with chickenpox managed to board a Kingfisher Airlines flight from Bangalore to Guwahati via Hyderabad and Kolkata on Wednesday. By the time the rashes were spotted and M Das evicted from the flight, it had already completed two legs of the journey with 221 passengers running the risk of infection.

On Tuesday, too, one Rahul Ravana had boarded the Kingfisher flight from Bangalore to Guwahati with chickenpox. He was also spotted only after reaching Kolkata.

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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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