Chickenpox is back! According to the latest national bulletin of Public Health France (week 29: from July 15 to July 21, 2019), the north-east of France (Metz), Brittany (Vannes), the Center (Aurillac), the south-west (Biarritz), the west and the south -western Paris (Le Mans, Châteauroux) are currently on red alert with more than 40 cases recorded per 100,000 inhabitants.
Chickenpox is a viral disease (caused by the varicella-zoster virus, from the herpesvirus family) which affects 700,000 children each year, especially before the age of 10. The symptoms are: a moderate fever up to 38°C with possible headaches, a rash with raised red pimples filled with fluid, and skin that is often very itchy. In general, people who had chickenpox in childhood are immune.
Against chickenpox, preventive measures
How to prevent chickenpox? Chickenpox is highly contagious. To protect themselves, children (from 2 years old) should wash their hands frequently with soap: after each visit to the toilet, before and after each meal, after playing with a friend… Avoid sharing objects between siblings (bottles, towels, pacifiers). In the event of a varicella epidemic, we also avoid taking public transport with a non-immune child.
Vaccination against chickenpox is not mandatory: it is however recommended for adolescents between 12 and 18 years old who have never had chickenpox but it is contraindicated in pregnant women. It consists of 2 doses spaced 4 to 8 weeks apart or 6 to 8 weeks apart depending on the vaccine used.
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