Chickenpox hits many schools

The Hanoi Center for Disease Control (CDC) said that last week, Hanoi recorded 70 cases of chickenpox . The total number of chickenpox cases since the beginning of the year is nearly 550, with no deaths. Most of the chickenpox patients are in the preschool age group (36.5%) and primary school age group (38%).

According to the report, patients were recorded in 18/30 districts, some units with high numbers of cases such as: Chuong My (230), Me Linh (69), Ba Vi (60), Nam Tu Liem (56), My Duc (42). The number of cases in 2023 increased compared to the same period in 2022 (4/0). Notably, in the past week, Chuong My district recorded 23 cases of chickenpox. The number of cases recorded was scattered in schools in this locality.

Bệnh thủy đậu xuất hiện tại nhiều trường học - Ảnh 1.

Caring for children with chickenpox at Ha Dong General Hospital. Photo: Thu Trang

Chuong My District Medical Center has coordinated with commune and school health departments to spray disinfectants, clean classrooms, toys, school supplies, and boarding facilities; at the same time, disseminate and instruct teachers and parents on measures to care for and treat children and prevent the outbreak from spreading widely.

Hanoi CDC stated that compared to the same period in 2022, the number of chickenpox cases recorded in 2023 increased, with most of the patients recorded in preschool and primary school age groups. Chickenpox tends to increase in winter and spring, so the number of cases may continue to increase in the coming time.

According to the Department of Preventive Medicine ( Ministry of Health ), chickenpox is a disease caused by the Varicella-zoster virus, which can occur at any age and anyone is at risk of getting the disease. The disease is easily transmitted directly through the respiratory tract when in contact with the source of the disease such as: talking, sneezing, runny nose, coughing, ...; in addition, the disease is also transmitted indirectly through sharing daily living items with the sick person.

The incubation period is about 2 - 3 weeks and starts suddenly with symptoms such as blisters on the head, limbs, and body; the patient has a mild fever, runny nose, mild cough, headache, fatigue, muscle pain, vomiting, loss of appetite... Blisters appear very quickly, within 12 - 24 hours they can appear all over the body with a size of 1-3 mm in diameter, containing clear fluid, however in severe cases the blisters will be larger or when infected with more bacteria, the blisters will be cloudy due to containing pus.

Although this is a benign disease, experts warn that the disease can have very serious complications. Mild complications are skin infections where the blisters are, more serious complications can enter the blood from the blisters causing sepsis. Severe complications such as pneumonia, encephalitis, cerebellitis... are complications that can be life-threatening, or leave sequelae later.

Even after the patient has recovered, the chickenpox virus still exists in the nerve ganglia in an inactive (dormant) form. Many years later, when favorable conditions such as low body resistance or other factors arise, the virus will reactivate and cause shingles.

Experts recommend vaccinating children 12 months of age and older against chickenpox to prevent the disease. In addition, limit contact with sick people. People with chickenpox should stay home from school or work for 7 to 10 days to avoid spreading the disease in the community.

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