Chicken Pox being closely monitored in schools

Symptoms of Chicken Pox on the skin
Symptoms of Chicken Pox on the skin

The Ministry of Health (MoH) is “following carefully” the presence of the contagious disease, Chicken Pox, in schools on island but said there is no need for alarm.

Chief Medical Officer, David Johnson, said parents have been advised of the existence of the disease in schools.

“There is nothing to be alarmed about,” he said.

Chicken Pox is caused by a virus that generally affects small children. It is spread usually through sneezing, coughing and contact.

“Most persons know when someone has Chicken Pox because you have this typical blisters all over your skin… ” Dr. Johnson explained. “It is always advisable when children have Chicken Pox that they stay away from school, at least for that period they are very infectious. Children are usually infectious one or two days before they have the actual rash or blisters on their skin and at least 10 to 14 days after that blister comes out until the skin infection/blister heals.”

Dr. Johnson noted that usually, persons do not have complications as a result of that disease.

“Most children recover within 14 days, some people are sick up to 21 days and the skin infection is what usually last a little longer but sometimes you could have the skin lesions getting infected with bacterial infections and that’s when it becomes a little more dangerous because if you have all of these lesions on your skin, eruptions and blisters on the skin and then it becomes infected with a bacteria then it means that the children need to seek further medical attention,” he stated.

Dr. Johnson noted that there have been no “admissions as a result of the Chicken Pox occurring” in a particular school.

“I think the school acted very proactively and is working very closely with the Ministry of Health in terms of the public health invention and one of the public health intervention, as I said, is to ensure that those children who are sick stay home and those children who are actually exposed in the classroom,” he said without naming the school. “We advise that they should stay home for the next seven days. If they become sick, they themselves should remain home for 14 days until they are not infectious.”

Dr. Johnson noted that there is a vaccine for Chicken Pox, “but obviously the vaccine means nothing to you if you are infected with Chicken Pox at this time. The vaccine is to prevent you from getting the disease.”

“We do not have the vaccine as part of our expanded program of immunization currently. The vaccine is usually sourced through private Doctors and Pediatricians,” he said. “It is not a major public health problem per se, in fact I do not know of any country within the region that has it as an established form within the immunization program.”

He also advised that the parents whose children have Chicken Pox to treat them with Paracetamol.

“We don’t advise the use of aspirin, but if you are in doubt in terms of how the child is doing then you should seek attention from your private physician or your nearest Health Centre,” he advised. “If you have other children at home, it becomes a little more complicated.”

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17 Comments

  1. mom
    February 28, 2015

    I hope the vaccine is available because in December there wasn’t any on island.

  2. worried
    February 28, 2015

    Do the health center’s here in Dominica have the vaccine?

  3. Pedro
    February 27, 2015

    Why aren’t children routinely immunized against chicken pox? Varicella vaccination should not be an option to not take! This is DA for you. This is DA for you. Preventive Health is not a priority. This virus can linger in the body for a lifetime and can come back to hunt people in later life! And guess what – elderly having hat virus runs a risk of infecting others including kids!A safe and effective vaccine against varicella has been available in several formulations since the mid-1970s , and in 2005, a combination measles-mumps-rubella-varicella vaccine also came on to the market. The single-antigen (i.e. containing varicella virus only) vaccine has been administered to millions of children, adolescents, and adults in many countries. In children, a single dose produces anti-varicella antibodies in about 95% of recipients and protects them against the disease. Furthermore, at least 90% of people given the vaccine within three days of being exposed to the virus are protected.

  4. Ti Shikah
    February 27, 2015

    Why are we still talking about chicken pox outbreaks? Have we stopped immunizing our little ones?
    Is it not mandatory for every infant to be vaccinated against all these contagious diseases ? Was the infected child immunized ? Aren’t the schools supposed to have an updated copy of every child’s immunization card? Was that child a new student? If so was an immunization card (up to date) presented to the school principal? Did the principal make and secure a copy of the card?
    I am really saddened by the fact that the Ministry of Health is down playing the seriousness of this disease in our schools. Every disease outbreak contagious or not must be treated with urgency. Every step must be taken to ensure that ALL our students immunizations are up to date. We must verify that any student who is about to enter our education system from another country has solid proof of having been immunized against this and other contagious disease. ALL our students must be immunized .

    • Gary
      March 2, 2015

      Wow, the two questions you asked in the opening of your comment displays so much ignorance. There is nothing more frightful than ignorance in action.

  5. krazy
    February 27, 2015

    They do not have the vaccine as part of their extended public immunization,it is source through private doctors and pediatricians. So the health centers can’t help…. hmmmm,

  6. Really?
    February 27, 2015

    Didn’t he say the same thing about Chikungunya? How we should not worry about it and 2 weeks later the country was crying. Prevention is better than cure, therefore please take your household to be vaccinated.

  7. hmmm
    February 27, 2015

    My advise to parents whose kids have not gotten chcken pox is have your kids immunized. I did and right now chicken pox is the furthest thing from my mind.

    • Gary
      February 27, 2015

      Wow, advice like this can become a dangerous gift. Knowledge is what needed, let s not forget information and advice is not knowledge.

    • anonymous2
      February 27, 2015

      If you want to get sick, get the vaccinations. Getting chicken pox as a child is no big thing. Getting it as an adult is more serious.

    • worried
      February 28, 2015

      Where can I get the vaccine

      • hmmm
        March 2, 2015

        You can get the vaccine at any pediatrician on island. Unfortunately it is not part of the health centers routine immunization. But you get a first vaccine and then a booster shot some time after.

  8. justcorrecting
    February 27, 2015

    Dr. Johnson is actually downplaying the effects of chickenpox??? Did he not see what happened in the US? People can actually die from the side effects. Babies and people with compromised immunity are the most vulnerable.

    • anonymous2
      February 27, 2015

      Most children in the US get these diseases from the vaccines. People with compromised immune systems as well as the very young and the very old will always be hit hardest. Don’t be so naive as to think that the vaccines will protect them from the disease. Dr. Johnson is on target.

      • Pedro
        March 1, 2015

        You are very naive and ignorant of all the facts if you think vaccination has no value. Vaccination has resulted in the elimination of diseases around the world. Many of them, deadly/and or crippling. Its when we let our guards down and some are not vaccinated, it presents even a greater threat. Thats when parents who don’t get their children vaccinated willfully allow that hazard to be propagated to wider society. Hers is what the UNICEF reported. “With the exception of safe water, no other modality, not even antibiotics, has had such a major effect on mortality reduction…” It only takes a few cases in DA or elsewhere where they may be limited vaccination and it will spread like wild fire. vaccinations literally saves lives. That is undisputed, but it is a preventative and not a reactionary tool.

      • anonymous2
        March 2, 2015

        No Pedro, you are ignorant. The diseases were all winding down before the vaccines ever came out. You like many others hare brainwashed by the pharmaceutical companies. The people in Africa finally got smart. They run when they see these Bill and Melinda Gates people coming with the vaccines.
        Many diseases go in cycles. Go get as many vaccines as possible and then wonder why you still not only get the disease but also cancer at a later date. Vaccines have NEVER been proven. Only the theory of antigen-antibody formation, which is what it is based on. So go ahead and justify why there is mercury, formaldehyde and cancer virus’ in many routine vaccines.

    • Gary
      March 2, 2015

      To Pedro

      If anyone is naive and ignorant is you. You have written so much nonsense. It seems you are one of those who belong to the cult of ignorance regarding vaccinations, very sad indeed.

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