Health experts have warned that virus of chickenpox may become dangerous, if it hit the adults, as health complications already persisting in them may causes mortality due to co-morbidity. "Chickenpox is known as a common disease among the children and the patients recovers within few days, however, if the virus affects the adults, it becomes dangerous due to many other health complications," they said while sharing their views about the disease.

Professor Faisal Masood said that patients with the symptoms of high grade fever, rashes on the body, vomiting and stiffness in the neck should immediately be brought to a government hospital for proper treatment. Punjab Minister for Primary & Secondary Health Khawaja Imran Nazir, while chairing a meeting, to review the situation of chickenpox disease in Faisalabad, Jhang, Sahiwal, Sargodha, Okara, Nankana Sahib, Chiniot, Toba Tek Singh, Bhakkar and Lahore, directed all the deputy commissioners of chickenpox affected districts to hold meetings on daily basis to review the disease situation, surveillance and treatment facilities for the patients. This practice should be continued till the complete control on the virus.

The meeting discussed the intensity of chickenpox in the said districts, referral system and treatment facilities for the patients in the hospitals. Special Secretary Specialized Healthcare Dr Sajid Mehmood Chohan, Special Secretary Primary & Secondary Health Dr Faisal Zahoor, Dean Children Hospital Lahore Professor Masood Sadiq, Medical Director Professor Ahsan Waheed Rathore, ex-VC KEMU Professor Faisal Masood, representatives of WHO and UNICEF Dr Mazhar Qureshi and Dr Rana Mushtaq, Health Consultant Dr Naeem-ud-Din Mian, Addl. Secretary Primary Health Dr Asim Altaf, Additional Specialized Healthcare Dr Salman Shahid, Director EPI Dr Munir, Director CDC Dr Bashir, CEO Health Lahore Dr Saeed Ghoman and Deputy Commissioners and CEOs of the affected districts participated in the meeting through video-link.

It was informed that a mass awareness campaign has been launched in the affected districts and special health education sessions have been held in the schools. Principal Punjab Medical College/ Allied Hospital Faisalabad was of the view that the patients are coming to the hospitals very late when the disease developed complications like pneumonia, acute respiratory disorder (ARD), meningitis etc, on this stage, treatment and saving the life of the patient become a big challenge for the doctors.

Khawaja Imran Nazir directed the CEOs Health to focus on the awareness campaign in the affected areas and strengthen and make vibrant disease surveillance and referral system for the patients. The meeting decided that a SMS pertaining WHO guidelines regarding chickenpox should be disseminated among the general practitioners on the pattern of dengue so that the family physicians and general practitioners could be able to provide better medical cover to the patients.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2017