The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : Spurt in chicken pox cases

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Jan 26, 2007
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

Spurt in chicken pox cases

Staff Reporter

HYDERABAD: The city is witnessing a spurt in chicken pox with several cases being reported from private clinics and Government hospitals. Government doctors who have been working with infectious diseases for a while maintain that cases of chicken pox would continue to increase till March before tapering off.

While, the nodal agency of seasonal diseases, Sir Ronald Ross Institute of Tropical Medicine has received about 25 to 30 patients in the first half of January, other private clinics in the city are also reporting cases.

However, Fever Hospital doctors make it clear that the patients getting admitted in the hospital is a small percentage compared to the actual prevalence as most of the patients prefer private clinics or sometimes depend on home remedies.

"On an average we are receiving about 10 patients a day with chicken pox since a few days. Our observations roughly indicate that chicken pox starts after Christmas and continues till Ugadi or few days later in the twin cities," says Superintendent of Fever Hospital P.P. Prasad.

Last year, from January till March, the hospital had received over 150 patients, mostly children below 12 years, with chicken pox. They point out that this year it would be no different.

Doctors recommend that kids aged between 12 to 18 months should be vaccinated against the infection. Dealing with the discomfort of the infection is vital and children should be given rest instead of being sent to school during infection.

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