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Chicken pox strikes state capital (Bihar province)
1 Jun, 2007
PATNA: Chicken pox, one of the most easily communicable diseases, has spread in certain parts of the city once again.
About 20 persons, including children, have been hit by the disease in Kurji and Dujra localities here during the last fortnight.
Normally, this disease strikes during early childhood or during adolescent stage. Few people know that if the disease occurs in old age, it can lead to extreme proportions and can cause a lot of complications.
Quite unlike its sister disease small pox, which has already been eradicated worldwide, chicken pox hasn't been eradicated yet and almost everyone is at a risk of getting infected, says paediatrician and IMA, Bihar unit, secretary Dr Arun Kumar Thakur.
The claim for eradication of chicken pox is baseless as every year, during this season, sporadic cases are reported. "Even this year, I get two or three cases of chicken pox every week," said Thakur.
Talking about the reason behind the outbreak of the disease in a particular locality, Dr Thakur says: "In densely populated localities, the probability of contracting the disease is high."
When asked about the treatment, Dr Thakur said: "Because chicken pox is usually a benign, self-limited disease, treatment is typically aimed at treating symptoms and making the patient more comfortable. In some cases, the anti-viral medication Acyclovir (Zovirax) may be used to treat chicken pox."
"In uncomplicated cases, Acyclovir has been shown to cause shorter periods of new lesion formation, but more rapid healing, provided the treatment starts within 24 to 48 hours of the onset of the rash," Dr Thakur added.
And how effective is the Varicella vaccine administered to prevent chicken pox, physician Dr PK Verma says: "No vaccine is 100% effective in preventing the disease. For chicken pox vaccine, about 8 to 9 out of every 10 people who are vaccinated are completely protected. The vaccine almost always prevents severity of the disease. If a vaccinated person does get chicken pox, it is usually a very mild case with fewer skin lesions (usually less than 50) lasting only a few days, no fever or a low fever, and few other symptoms."
Patna civil surgeon Dr Pranav Kumar said that he was not aware of any such outbreak of the disease. The civil surgeon also said he would send a medical team to the areas concerned to make an on-the-spot review.
1 Jun, 2007
PATNA: Chicken pox, one of the most easily communicable diseases, has spread in certain parts of the city once again.
About 20 persons, including children, have been hit by the disease in Kurji and Dujra localities here during the last fortnight.
Normally, this disease strikes during early childhood or during adolescent stage. Few people know that if the disease occurs in old age, it can lead to extreme proportions and can cause a lot of complications.
Quite unlike its sister disease small pox, which has already been eradicated worldwide, chicken pox hasn't been eradicated yet and almost everyone is at a risk of getting infected, says paediatrician and IMA, Bihar unit, secretary Dr Arun Kumar Thakur.
The claim for eradication of chicken pox is baseless as every year, during this season, sporadic cases are reported. "Even this year, I get two or three cases of chicken pox every week," said Thakur.
Talking about the reason behind the outbreak of the disease in a particular locality, Dr Thakur says: "In densely populated localities, the probability of contracting the disease is high."
When asked about the treatment, Dr Thakur said: "Because chicken pox is usually a benign, self-limited disease, treatment is typically aimed at treating symptoms and making the patient more comfortable. In some cases, the anti-viral medication Acyclovir (Zovirax) may be used to treat chicken pox."
"In uncomplicated cases, Acyclovir has been shown to cause shorter periods of new lesion formation, but more rapid healing, provided the treatment starts within 24 to 48 hours of the onset of the rash," Dr Thakur added.
And how effective is the Varicella vaccine administered to prevent chicken pox, physician Dr PK Verma says: "No vaccine is 100% effective in preventing the disease. For chicken pox vaccine, about 8 to 9 out of every 10 people who are vaccinated are completely protected. The vaccine almost always prevents severity of the disease. If a vaccinated person does get chicken pox, it is usually a very mild case with fewer skin lesions (usually less than 50) lasting only a few days, no fever or a low fever, and few other symptoms."
Patna civil surgeon Dr Pranav Kumar said that he was not aware of any such outbreak of the disease. The civil surgeon also said he would send a medical team to the areas concerned to make an on-the-spot review.
