Researchers see significant increase in chickenpox among children

An astonishing number of children have recently contracted chickenpox. Research institute Nivel says, based on GP data, four to five times more children will have chickenpox this year than in the first months of 2021.

This disease mainly concerns children aged 0-4 years, but this disease is also more common in children aged 5-15 years than last year, twice as often.

Neville estimates there may be a “catch-up effect” after the Corona years. Due to all the Corona measures, from school closures to distance rules, many infectious diseases rarely occurred in 2020 and 2021. With the relaxation at the beginning of this year, these diseases will once again have more opportunities to spread. Among younger children, there are now about 150 confirmed cases of chickenpox per 100,000 population each week. Researchers rely on recordings from hundreds of general practices. Many parents also allow their children to get sick at home without the help of a GP.

The chickenpox virus causes. It is usually a harmless disease of childhood, but sometimes serious complications arise. Generally, babies mainly have itchy bumps. Adults who still have chickenpox are at greater risk of developing additional problems.

Pediatricians told de Volkskrant on Wednesday that they had recently seen more children infected with the so-called group A streptococcus bacteria. Chickenpox can increase the chance of getting such an infection. These types of bacteria are usually relatively harmless, but in rare cases infection can lead to very serious illness.

Something similar to what happened now with chickenpox happened with the RS virus last summer: it was suppressed in the winter by Corona measures, but it spread in the summer when the measures had already been greatly relaxed.

Source: news.nl / ANP