They call on parents (and grandmothers and grandfathers) to be extra vigilant with children with chickenpox.
Three times as many infections
The number of young children infected with a so-called GAS (Group A Streptococcus) bacteria this year is estimated to be three times higher than in previous years. At least 70 children with serious infections have now been hospitalized. Seven children did not survive.
Dangerous bacteria
The dangerous thing about this bacterium is that the infection can go from mild to very severe within a day. “The child then deteriorates visibly. It is important to start antibiotics as soon as possible,” pediatrician infectiologist-immunologist Michiel van der Flier (UMC Utrecht) told the newspaper. AD†
Flesh-eating bacteria
Once the children are in the hospital, they suffer from serious infections such as meningitis, blood poisoning, bone or joint inflammation and pneumonia. Necrotizing fasciitis was diagnosed in some children. This is a bacterium in which the skin and muscles die, also called the flesh-eating bacteria. This can lead to amputations.
According to the RIVM, there is no outbreak, but a kind of catch-up effect after the corona pandemic. However, it appears that the bacteria mainly strikes in children who have just had chickenpox. This may be because the bacteria enters through the broken vesicles.
When to go to the doctor?
The pediatrician emphasizes that parents should not immediately panic if their children have chickenpox. However, he advises to remain extra vigilant. Do not go to the doctor until the fever comes back, you notice a red spot on the skin that is getting bigger or if the child is getting sicker. “And if necessary, give a child with chickenpox paracetamol as a pain reliever, not ibuprofen or diclofenac: they can increase the risk of a serious infection.”
Source: AD