Recommendations for chickenpox prevention

Chickenpox vaccination for children at medical facilities.

Chickenpox causes many dangerous complications

Since the beginning of the year, thousands of cases of chickenpox have been recorded nationwide, including deaths. According to a report by the Pasteur Institute of Ho Chi Minh City, in the first 5 months of 2023, the southern region recorded 2,645 cases, an increase of 3.9 times over the same period in 2022. In Tay Ninh, 89 cases have been recorded since the beginning of 2023. The localities with the highest number of chickenpox cases are Trang Bang town with 44 cases, Tay Ninh city with 26 cases and Chau Thanh district with 16 cases.

Chickenpox usually occurs mainly in children, with symptoms of fatigue, headache, mild fever, runny nose, sore throat and a rash that starts in the head and eyes and spreads to the whole body. The contagious period of the disease is 1-2 days before the rash appears and within 5 days after the first blisters appear. The disease usually lasts from 7-10 days.

In people with immunodeficiency, pregnant women and newborns, chickenpox can progress to severe complications such as pneumonia, myocarditis and can lead to death. When pregnant women get chickenpox in the first 3 months of pregnancy, the virus can cause miscarriage or the baby will be born with congenital chickenpox with many malformations such as small head, limb contractures, cerebral palsy, congenital scars...; if chickenpox occurs in the days before birth or after birth, the baby will be very seriously infected with many blisters and is susceptible to complications of pneumonia.

The disease is easily transmitted from person to person through the respiratory tract or close contact with nasal and throat secretions or fluid from chickenpox blisters of an infected person. The infection rate is up to 90% in people who are not immune.

Measures to prevent chickenpox

The most effective way to prevent the disease today is to vaccinate children from 12 months of age against chickenpox. This is the most effective and long-term way to prevent chickenpox. The chickenpox vaccine is safe and highly effective. If fully vaccinated, it is very rare to get sick, and if you do get sick, the symptoms will be milder.

In addition, people need to limit contact with sick people to prevent infection; wash hands regularly with soap, use separate household items, clean nose and throat daily with saline; regularly clean houses, schools, and household items with common disinfectants.

Some notes for people with chickenpox

People with chickenpox should stay home from school or work for 7 to 10 days from the time they first show symptoms to avoid spreading the disease to others.

To reduce the risk of skin infection, patients should take warm baths, wash their bodies gently, avoid breaking blisters or scratching the skin, and change clothes daily. People with chickenpox should choose loose, airy, sweat-absorbent clothing to avoid rubbing and breaking blisters, causing the fluid to spread to surrounding skin areas.

In addition, patients need to clean their eyes, nose, and mouth gently 2-3 times a day with saline because chickenpox can grow in the mouth, and if not cleaned, it can cause secondary infection. In particular, patients need to go to the nearest medical facility for examination if they have symptoms of severe coughing, difficulty breathing, fatigue, and lethargy.

In addition, a proper diet is also very important for people with chickenpox. A proper diet will help the patient strengthen the immune system and recover quickly, otherwise it can cause negative effects on the condition of chickenpox. If a breastfed baby is sick, the mother should continue to breastfeed normally.

Dinh Tien

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