East Singhbhum on alert after 28 chicken pox cases detected

Jamshedpur: With fresh cases of chicken pox being reported from Narsingarh village at Dhalbhumgarh in Ghatshila sub-division, East Singhbhum district health department has gone on alert mode.District civil surgeon, Jujhar Manjhi said that medical team has been sent to Narsinghgarh for medication and vaccination of the affected villagers, besides, the health team will also hold camp at the infected village to collect blood samples of the villagers to examine if there's any spread of the virus. Over a dozen people are suffering from chicken pox in Narsingarh, said the officials.Manjhi advised locals to practise precaution and avoid going to exorcists for treatment. "Visit qualified doctors for medical treatment in the event of contracting chicken pox," he said.In the past two weeks, 28 confirmed cases of chicken pox have been reported from eight blocks of the district.The spread of chicken pox has been reported both from urban circle and rural areas, including Potka, Patamda, Musaboni, Sundernagar and MGM area.In the past 10 months (May 2022-March 2023), 160 confirmed cases of chicken pox have been reported in the district. Majority of the infected are in the age group of five and 30 years.“Children and adolescents are largely getting infected by varicella zoster virus causing chicken pox,” said surveillance officer, Dr Asad.“People should practise good hygiene, wash hands frequently and reduce exposure to the people having chicken pox. Vaccination is the best remedy to keep away chicken pox,” physician Mrityunjay Singh said.The civil surgeon said that awareness camps will be organised to educate people about the virus and measures needed to prevent the pox attack.