Chicken pox cases on the rise in Hyderabad

Chicken pox cases on the rise in Hyderabad
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As temperature goes up, cases of chicken pox are also rising in the state. Chicken pox, also known as varicella is highly infectious and if unchecked may lead to high fever or pneumonia. Every year, the number of chicken pox cases rises during summer.

​Hyderabad: As temperature goes up, cases of chicken pox are also rising in the state. Chicken pox, also known as varicella is highly infectious and if unchecked may lead to high fever or pneumonia. Every year, the number of chicken pox cases rises during summer.

As many as 171 cases were reported in Fever Hospital in March and till April 10, about 45 people, mostly children, have been admitted to the hospital necessitating the setting up of a temporary ward exclusively for the patients of chicken pox.

Fever Hospital RMO Dr Chitralekha says, “The onset of summer triggers the virus which mainly affects children. We advise people against self-medication. Though it is not life threatening, it could lead to secondary implications.”

Even at Gandhi Hospital, many cases of chicken pox are reported. A senior doctor said, “In some cases, the immunity lies dormant and as immunity drops, the disease flares up among the old. The common secondary complications are bronchopneumonia, meningitis and gastroenteritis.”

Doctors say that the people go to quacks and resort to home remedies which may lead to complications.

Also prophylactic practices may do more harm than good. Ramulu, a parent of a patient and resident of Uppal said, “We used neem leaves as advised by the elders but the effect was minimal so we brought the child to Fever Hospital.”

“Pregnant women need to be extra careful, if the mother contracts chicken pox during pregnancy, the chances of the child having deformity increases,” says a doctor at Gandhi Hospital. Dr Dhanunjaya said, “In some rare cases, secondary complication may lead to facial nerve palsy which affects the movement of the muscles of the face.”

Many private hospitals refuse to admit patients as they need to be kept in isolation. The Fever Hospital, the only quarantine hospital in the city has the facility. A senior doctor said now the hospital is known as ‘Koranti’ a corrupted form of ‘Quarentine’ which essentially means a place where patients can be kept in isolation. Fever Hospital being the only quarantine hospital, patients from other hospitals in the city are directed here.

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