After the announcement by "Sloboden Pechat" that a four-month-old baby, who was being treated for chickenpox, died on Monday at the Skopje Clinic for Children's Diseases, the director Stojka-Naceva Fushtic denied that there was a baby who died of chickenpox at their clinic. But then he changed his mind and confirmed for our media that a child died two days ago at the Clinic.

According to the information, which was confirmed for our media by doctors from the clinic, the baby from Gevgelija was admitted in a very serious condition at the end of last month, and after a few days was transferred to intensive care. For this baby, for several days, ampoules of "acyclovir" were sought on social networks, which the parents and relatives had to find for his treatment.

The director Naceva Fushtic, when asked if they had a child who died from chicken pox, first told us that there is no baby who died from chicken pox at their clinic. After a few hours, we received a new reply stating that the four-month-old baby had died.

– The child died of meningoencephalitis and brain bleeding. Streptococcus was isolated from the cerebrospinal fluid. The previous chickenpox from which the child was infected is the cause of anergy (decline of immunity). Thus, a severe bacterial infection develops on this field - Fustic decided.

According to information from the doctors at the Children's Clinic, the baby was from Gevgelija at the age of four months. The baby was admitted in a very serious condition at the end of last month, and after a few days was transferred to intensive care.

For this baby, for several days, ampoules of "acyclovir" were sought on social networks, which the parents and relatives had to find for his treatment. According to the writings, the ampoules were not at the clinic where the infected child was treated. Our sources at the clinic say that the infant's condition worsened a few days after he was hospitalized. He developed inflammation of the brain (encephalitis), was punctured, which was confirmed by the director, after which, despite the efforts of the doctors, they failed to save him.

Pediatricians from the clinic say that they do not remember a case like this, in which chicken pox caused such a serious and dangerous complication in a small child, which ended in death.

According to the pediatricians we contacted, parents should be very careful with any illness, especially when it comes to smallpox.

Chickenpox or chicken pox is a disease caused by the herpes zoster virus, which most often occurs in children aged 2 to 8 years. It is very easily transmitted, but usually does not cause serious complications, especially in children. In our country, the varicella vaccine is not included in the regular immunization calendar, so a huge number of children get infected and suffer from the disease even in the pre-adolescent period. In children, chicken pox usually starts with an elevated temperature, a light headache, i.e. with flu-like symptoms that they last three to four days.

After that, there is a specific rash in the form of dots followed by itching, and the dots, that is, blisters, are filled with a clear liquid. As a rule, the rash first appears on the head (and the scalp), then on the body and finally on the limbs. The skin in the area of ​​the rash is very itchy.

Chicken pox in otherwise healthy children is usually a mild disease, and a more severe course of the disease can be expected only in newborns, adults and the elderly.

Treatment is symptomatic, meaning that the itching can be alleviated, thus preventing itching, possible further complications and permanent scarring.

The doctor can prescribe to the child medicines that relieve itching (antihistamines), medicines to reduce the temperature (antipyretics), and if the child is in pain, medicines to relieve pain (analgesics).