Doctors slam "misinformed and misguided" anti-vaccination parents who deliberately infect their children with chicken pox, a highly contagious disease. Apparently, these parents even use social media sites to encourage others to join "pox parties."
Chicken pox is an infectious disease that causes fever and a rash of itchy inflamed blisters. Before the development of vaccines, pox parties have been practiced due to parents' common belief that children would become immune to the disease after being infected.
Medical experts are deeply alarmed when they hear of parents hosting pox parties.
"It is a worrying new trend. There is risk attached to these infections and it is completely unavoidable," says Chris Zappala, president of Medical Association Queensland.
Zappala explains that the actions done by anti-vaxxers can put the community's health at risk because chicken pox can pose serious complications. He urges residents in Australia to think hard before exposing their children to chicken pox and following the trend now popular in the United States.
"The potential severity of these illnesses is being underestimated. Chickenpox is usually milder in children, but it can result in serious complications and even death," he adds. "Exposing your children to disease in the hope of developing their immunity is terribly misinformed. It will not benefit them and it will not benefit society," he added.
Chicken pox may last for up to two weeks but complications might occur if the blisters become infected with bacteria. Aside from that, in rare cases, severe complications involving the nervous system, specifically the brain and spinal cord, might manifest in children.
When the brain becomes infected, it can cause detrimental effects to the child and lead to brain inflammation or encephalitis. Other complications include meningitis or infection in the protective membranes around the brain and cerebellitis or infection in the cerebellum.
Common signs and symptoms of these complications include fatigue, lack of energy, confusion, dizziness, seizures, vomiting, stiff neck, severe headache, changes in behavior and ataxia or problems with balance, speech or walking.
Individuals who are vulnerable to the effects of the virus include pregnant women, adults, people with weakened immune system and infants under four weeks old. Thus, parents are strongly encouraged to avoid exposing children to pox parties because of serious complications that might arise.
Photo : Dominic Sayers | Flickr
