Indiana sees largest chickenpox outbreak in US

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Let's talk about Vigo county Indiana it is now experiencing the largest chicken pox outbreak in the country.

That area usually has less than ten cases each year but they seem more than eighty since September.

The state Health Department is now baffled as it investigates the cause for this sudden spike.

Couple hundred kids were sent home from school as a precaution.

Doctor Cathleen London is a board certified family medicine physician.

You know -- old enough to have had chicken -- I didn't you know ever think that it was a big deal but these days there is a vaccine available and and children are generally expected to get it right.

So what we're trying to prevent your right I had chicken -- even my kids had chicken pox it's today.

We would have about 101000 people a year who would end up hospitalized and a 10050.

Deaths.

So as we were getting rid of other childhood diseases that became the one that was one of the higher death rates.

So that was -- reason to -- it's a very very very contagious illness you know white droplets and and everything else.

And the population that deficit so we're looking at preschool -- -- all over each other.

So we do you recommend to vaccines that's being fully immunized for it and the concern here is set some of these children -- -- -- The other thing will happen is say children who have been -- -- -- -- a much milder form of the disease.

-- -- one of the things it may be going on here is that doctors don't recognize that it's chicken pox because it doesn't look the same right.

Instead of getting a classic bicycles -- -- look like bug bites so there's an education going on is that what's going on here we didn't always trapped chicken pox because we used to see three for -- cases a year.

So this is different.

There are obviously a lot of -- parents out there who are concerned about the number of immunizations that they give their children and and some might look at a chicken pox inoculations -- -- not gonna do that for my Q what do you say to them.

Well given that -- 10250.

Deaths that we've seen that we used to see every year weren't previously healthy children are you willing to take that risk on your Childs and -- the vaccine is very effective vaccine is very effective absolutely it did and there are some I should I -- aftermath issues shingles is related to chicken -- correct so that the chicken -- -- the virus Marcella is in the herpes family virus -- so it lives on your nerve endings forever.

And the shingles is a reactivation of that -- generally its older people.

The older you get the more -- rescue RT jacket now we do have a vaccine against singles.

But obvious safely prevent chicken -- to begin with you won't be at risk for shingles -- -- So that that's really what we're going after here is -- Shingles can leave you with permanent pain and and other things are just not something that you want to have to deal with every day you don't need to you -- You know again I know a lot of parents have generally thought of chicken pox is not a big deal you know one kid in the neighborhood would get it and everybody would have a chicken pox parties of and all of their kids -- be exposed and come down with a can be.

-- you don't let your rights.

And your -- -- -- absolutely and I I -- that except that the reason that that was before the vaccine.

You know now we have a vaccine to prevent -- -- you know it's two weeks and actually kids who've been exposed to or not adequately immunized didn't get both vaccines.

They need to be home for 21 days -- And that's the time out of work in everything else -- you gonna do that.

So Vigo county Indiana we feel for you but the rest of -- if you haven't had your kids immunized the -- -- get it done.

Doctor Cathleen London thank you thanks for have.

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Indiana sees largest chickenpox outbreak in US

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