Watch out for chickenpox! This highly contagious viral disease is on the rise, according to the weekly bulletin of the Sentinelles epidemiological surveillance network, based on the week of March 13-19, 2017.
37 out of 100,000 general practitioner consultations concerned patients affected by chickenpox. Nationally, the virus is particularly rife in eight outbreaks. The regions most strongly affected by the disease are the Pays de la Loire (74 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, Ile-de-France (50 per 100,000), New Aquitaine (49 cases out of 100,000), the Grand Est and Hauts-de-France Activity is estimated at a moderate level in Brittany, Corsica and Occitania.
Chickenpox often occurs during childhood. It is caused by a herpes virus (Varicella-Zoster Virus or VZV) which is transmitted by the respiratory route, by inhalation of droplets of saliva emitted by a sick person or by direct contact with his skin lesions.
In France, generalized vaccination against chickenpox in children over 12 months is not recommended, recalls the Public Health France site. Some populations without a history of chickenpox are invited to be vaccinated against the virus: teens12-18 years old, women of childbearing age, healthcare professionals and professionals in contact with early childhood, people in close contact with immunocompromised people and children who are candidates for solid organ transplants.
#Flu#Diarrhea#Varicella Flu Syndromes: first week of exceeding the epidemic threshold https://t.co/h9mWgV2J3Zpic.twitter.com/mCbp2pR9pl
– Director of Care (@DSirmtCom) December 22, 2016
To read also: Chickenpox: stop preconceived ideas
