About 30 cases of chicken pox have been reported from Ranjit Nagar located in Sherpur Chowk.The patients are children living in the same vehra. The district health authorities too have swung into action and have organised a camp in the area. District health officer (DHO) Kulwinder Singh said,All the patients are migrants who were living in the same house. Chicken pox is contagious. So it spread fast. We are now spreading awareness among the masses so that the disease is not spread further. While 10 children have recovered,the rest still have fever and other related symptoms. The DHO stated that no fresh patient has been reported in the past two days. It needs to be mentioned that migrants of this area live in small rooms and on an average about 150 persons stay in a single house,which is also called 'vehra. Low immunity and unhygenic conditions are contributory factors to the disease,informed the DHO. Sporadic cases of chicken pox are also being reported from Pakhowal Road,Sarabha Nagar,Model Town and a few more areas as well. DMC Principal Dr Daljit Singh said,In Punjab chicken pox cases are reported from March to May because the virus is more active in this season. Apart from children,even many adults too are suffering from chicken pox. Dr Baldeep Singh,Director of Deep Hospital,too stated that children have been coming with chicken pox to the hospital. He added,however,that the number is not alarming. Dr Daljit Singh stated that in children,the virus attack is mild but in adults it is normally very severe. The doctors said that nowadays,two vaccines are recommended for chicken pox and help build immunity against the virus.
