Posts Tagged ‘Outbreak’
Oh no, chicken pox!
What an unbelievable day. Someone at work had shingles, so a colleague and I had a discussion about chicken pox. I was asked if my kids had chicken pox yet and I replied that they had received the varicella vaccine. Of course, getting vaccines does not guarantee that you can’t get the disease, but it allows you to hope that the illness would be mild. Since the varicella vaccine is relatively new, not enough data is available to show how effective it is. You can only show that it is ineffective when an individual develops the illness that the vaccine was supposed to prevent.
I came home to find my husband dabbing calamine lotion onto my younger daughter’s torso. It may have been that I had chicken pox on the mind, but my first reaction was, “Oh no, you’ve got chicken pox!” Sure enough, it is chicken pox. We hadn’t heard that there was an outbreak at school, so we’re not sure if she is the sentinel case or if she caught it from someone else. I just hope that I was not a vector, as I was exposed to someone with shingles. Or vice versa.
If she caught the virus from someone else, my daughter would have been exposed sometime in the last week or two. Which also means that she could have been passing it on during that time. Viral shedding occurs even before the rash breaks out.
It does appear that she is having a rather mild infection. She has not had a fever and generally feels well. Though she complains of a mild sore throat and some fatigue, it does not prevent her from doing her usual activities. She does complain about itch, but it has not been bad. Of course, she hardly ever complains about itch with rashes of any kind. Already, some of the lesions are starting to scab. Once that happens, she will no longer be infectious and can interact with others, unless she is embarrassed about the sores on her face. Fortunately, the end of term is nearly here. I just hope the Easter holidays will not be ruined.
New flu epidemic hits Mexico
There is a small outbreak of swine flu in Mexico that has killed 60 people. It is being blamed for 800 more cases of illness. Seven other cases of swine flu in southern US have been reported. All those have survived. It is unclear at this time whether the cases in the US are linked to the ones in Mexico. Interestingly, the seven in the US had no contact with pigs.
Tests are still being done on the cases in Mexico to confirm that it is swine flu in all of them. A spokesman for the CDC (Center for Disease Control) reported that the virus that has been identified in the confirmed cases show a mixture of pig, bird and human viruses. This is the first time that experts have seen such a combination strain.
It is rather late in the season for influenza, but it is an unusual virus that we are dealing with. Schools have been closed and a vaccination campaign has been started. However, it is doubtful that the vaccine will have much effect since it was produced for a different strain of the flu. People are urged to take preventative measures. Experts have been nervously awaiting a major flu pandemic, so one wonders if this is the start of a major worldwide problem.
So, what can you do if this swine flu does spread? Well, it’s best to take care of your general health. That means eat right, get plenty of rest, wash hands thoroughly when required, cover up when you sneeze or cough, isolate those who are ill. Vaccination will depend on whether the correct vaccine is distributed. However, it is recommended to take the vaccine even if it is does not cover the correct strain, because it should confer some protection against fatality.
