[Young Miao Studio] At the beginning of the school year, be careful that family members get herpes zoster and infect children with chickenpox!

In the winter of 2023, various viruses struck in turn, and mycoplasma, influenza, respiratory syncytial virus … boarded the "hot search" one after another, and the number of visits to children’s hospitals and pediatrics everywhere increased sharply.

At present, schools are opening one after another, which coincides with the high incidence season of chickenpox. In order to prevent the situation of multi-virus "overlapping epidemic" from happening again, parents should prepare for the battle against "pox".

What needs additional attention is that herpes zoster is actually one of the sources of infection of chickenpox, and most of them are transmitted through the relationship between grandparents and grandchildren. In other words, in addition to schools, kindergartens and other places, there are also hidden dangers in the family. Parents should deal with it in advance to prevent their studies from being delayed due to illness.

Let’s take a look at chickenpox and herpes zoster today.

These two seemingly unrelated diseases,

How did it get together? How to prevent it?

Chickenpox and herpes zoster, originally from the same root, are actually caused by varicella-zoster virus, that is, two different diseases are caused by the same virus.

What is chicken pox?

Chickenpox, the initial manifestation after being infected with the virus, is characterized by herpes all over the body, which is high in children under 15 years old. It is highly contagious, and it can be contagious by contact or droplets. About 90% of susceptible people will get sick after contact with patients, so it is also called "face-to-face transmission".

Once infected, the child will face suspension for about two weeks. And it may cause facial scars of children. In severe cases, it may also be complicated with pneumonia and encephalitis, sometimes leading to permanent sequelae or death. Even if chickenpox is cured, the virus will not be completely eliminated, but will lurk in the sensory ganglion of the human body and wait for the opportunity to be dispatched when the immunity of the body decreases.

What is herpes zoster?

Herpes zoster is an infectious skin disease caused by the reactivation of viruses lurking in the body, which is high in adults over 50 years old. When a rash occurs, it will be distributed in a band along the nerves on one side of the body, so it is called "waist-wrapped dragon".

In fact, herpes zoster may also occur in the face, eyes and other places, causing serious consequences such as deafness, blindness and facial paralysis. Herpes zoster may also be complicated with post-traumatic neuralgia, such as burning, electric shock, knife cutting, etc. 30%-50% of patients have pain for more than one year, and some can reach 10 years or more.

Herpes zoster is contagious, and over 90% of adults carry the virus.

It should be emphasized that herpes zoster is also contagious! Studies have shown that more than 90% of adults in China have been infected with the virus, and about one third of them will suffer from herpes zoster in their lifetime. Autumn and winter are just the high season of herpes zoster. If the elderly at home get herpes zoster, the virus will be released from the broken skin. If they come into contact with patients or patients’ daily necessities, such as towels and close-fitting clothes, they may be infected, especially children with low immunity at home, which will have a serious impact on the fetus.

A study in 2023 investigated the social relations of 11 pairs of cases of chickenpox and herpes zoster in Beijing, and found that they all showed the characteristics that the blister came first and chickenpox came last. Among the 11 pairs of cases, 10 pairs had clear family relations, of which the relationship between grandparents and grandchildren accounted for 70%. In other words, the elderly at home have herpes zoster, and there is a great risk of passing the virus to children. In order to prevent the occurrence of chickenpox and herpes zoster from the source, the most effective method at present is vaccination.

One old and one young are vaccinated to protect the health of their families together.

Although varicella and herpes zoster are caused by the same virus, two kinds of vaccines are designed for these two diseases, and the antigen load, technical route and components of these two kinds of vaccines are not the same, so the two kinds of vaccines cannot replace each other.

For children:

At present, there are live attenuated varicella vaccines that can be prevented. The routine immunization program is that children aged 12 months to 18 months are vaccinated with the first dose, and children aged 4 years are vaccinated with the second dose. The interval between the two doses is not less than 3 months. However, it should be noted that neither 1 dose nor 2 doses can completely prevent varicella cases caused by the spread of herpes zoster cases. Therefore, adults should also be well protected!

For adults:

At present, the herpes zoster vaccine has been approved for marketing in China, and many domestic experts unanimously recommend the vaccination of the school-age population. Especially for the high-risk population of herpes zoster, such as the elderly with basic diseases such as diabetes, in addition to the risk of infection, the symptoms after self-infection will be heavier and more painful than those of healthy people, and there is a possibility of recurrence. Therefore, strengthening prevention is very important for yourself and your family.

Besides, in our daily life, we can also pay attention to diet, exercise regularly, ventilate frequently, wash our hands frequently and keep a good sleep to enhance our immunity. So that the virus has no opportunity to act together to protect the health of family members.

Original title: "[Young Miao Studio] In the school season, be careful that family members get herpes zoster and children get chickenpox! 》

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