Hong Kong reports spikes in chickenpox and scarlet fever

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Chickenpox  Image/CDC

Hong Kong health officials are reporting increases in the two childhood illnesses recently, prompting them to alert school administrators and the public in general,according to a Centre for Health Protection (CHP) press release Nov. 14.The two childhood infections, chickenpox andscarlet fever, have spiked in the past month according to CHP data.Specifically, the CHP reports they have received 743 cases of chickenpox notifications in October, as compared with 390 in September. The weekly number of notification of chickenpox has been gradually increasing from 147 in the week ending October 6, to 239 in the week ending November 10.Similarly, the weekly number of scarlet fever cases recorded has also increased from 10 in the week ending October 6 to 33 in the week ending November 10.
Health officials have issued letters health care professionals and school management to alert them to the increases and offer advice.Chickenpox is a common, usually benign childhood disease caused by the varicella-zoster virus (VZV), a member of the herpes family. This virus causes two distinct diseases; varicella (chickenpox) is the primary infection, and later when VSV reactivates, herpes zoster (shingles).Chickenpox is highly contagious and is spread by coughing and sneezing, by direct contact and by aerosolization of the virus from skin lesions. You can also get it by contact with the vesicle secretions from shingles.The disease is characterized by fever and a red, itchy skin rash of that usually starts on the abdomen, back or face and then spreads to nearly all parts of the body. The rash begins as small red bumps that appear as pimples or insect bites. They then develop into thin-walled blisters that are filled with clear fluid which collapse on puncture. The blisters then breaks, crusts over, and leaves dry brown scabs.The chickenpox lesions may be present in several stages of maturity and are more abundant on covered skin rather than exposed. Lesions may also be found in the mouth, upper respiratory tract and genitals.Chickenpox is contagious from 1-2 days before the rash forms and continues until all the lesions are crusted over (usually about 5 days).This disease is more serious in adults than in children. Complications of chickenpox are rare, but include pneumonia, encephalitis and secondary bacterial infections.Infection with this virus usually gives lifelong immunity, though second attacks have been documented in immunocompromised people. The viral infection remains latent, and disease may recur years later as shingles.Scarlet fever is a form of group A strep disease that can follow strep throat.In addition to the symptoms of strep throat, a red rash appears on the sides of your chest and abdomen. It may spread to cover most of the body.The rash appears as tiny, red pinpoints and has a rough texture like sandpaper. If you press the rash it loses color and turns white. You may also see dark red lines in the folds of skin.Also you may get a bright strawberry-red tongue and a rosy face, while the area around the mouth remains pale. Skin on the tips of the fingers and toes often peel after you get better.
You may also have fever, nausea and vomiting in more severe cases.You get scarlet fever the same way you get strep throat; through direct contact with throat mucus, nasal discharge and saliva from an infected person.Scarlet fever is usually diagnosed by doing a throat culture or a rapid strep antigen test. Treatment, like with strep throat, is with antibiotics.The CHP offers the following advice to the public to help prevent these two diseases:

• Maintain good personal and environmental hygiene;
• Keep hands clean and wash hands properly;
• Cover nose and mouth while sneezing or coughing and dispose nasal and mouth discharge properly;
• Wash hands after sneezing, coughing or cleaning the nose;
• Maintain good ventilation;
• Avoid visiting crowded places with poor ventilation;
• Refrain from work or school and wear surgical mask and seek medical advice promptly if fever or symptoms of respiratory tract infection develop; and
• parents can approach their family doctors for further advice and information on chickenpox vaccination

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