Health Alarm for Children; Sevenfold Increase in Chickenpox Cases

The director of a specialized children's hospital in Mashhad has reported a "sevenfold" increase in the number of patients with "chickenpox" compared to last year. According to the state news agency ISNA, Mohammad Reza Keshmandi, the director of Akbar Children's Hospital in Mashhad, noted that "the purulent nature of skin lesions, the formation of second and even third-degree wounds, and high fevers" are among the factors leading to hospitalization in patients with chickenpox. According to this pediatric disease specialist, this latent virus may reactivate years later at any age, causing another form of the disease known as "shingles." Chickenpox is a mild and highly contagious infectious disease caused by the initial infection of the "varicella-zoster" virus, accompanied by symptoms such as fever, nausea, abdominal pain, itching, and headache. This disease is more common in children and leads to the development of skin rashes and small itchy blisters that eventually crust over. In April, domestic media reported a "warning bell for the outbreak of chickenpox in schools in Isfahan," and Behnam Amini, the head of health and wellness at the Isfahan Education Department, stated that "we tracked acute illness cases in schools in the province last December," adding that "chickenpox is more prevalent in late winter and early spring." Chickenpox spreads easily from person to person through the coughs and sneezes of an infected individual and may also spread through contact with the blisters. The age of onset for this disease is "2 to 15 years," with the highest incidence occurring between the ages of "5 to 10 years." Although reinfection by this virus may occur, "reinfection usually does not cause any symptoms." This disease is often seen in winter and spring. In June 2022, following the observation of cases of monkeypox in Iran, concerns were raised about the shortage of the "smallpox" vaccine in the country's health network for potential vaccination, according to experts in this field. In this regard, Mostafa Qanai, former head of the Pasteur Institute of Iran, stated that if there is a need for this vaccine again, orders for its production must be placed months in advance, saying, "There is the capability to produce the smallpox vaccine in the country, but it takes 3 to 6 months to reach mass production." A large portion of drug production and imports is under the control of governmental entities under Ali Khamenei, including Astan Quds and the Executive Headquarters of Imam's Command, which in recent years have sought to exploit the situation under the pretext of sanctions. The United States has consistently emphasized that food and medicine are not subject to sanctions, even at the height of sanctions against the Islamic Republic of Iran.