Deputy director of the Robert Reid Cabral hospital, the country’s leading pediatrics hospital, said that the country might be affected by a major bout of chicken pox. He said that so far this week, they have seen seven children with the disease. Chicken pox vaccines are available but are not covered by insurance plans, nor offered as part of the free state vaccination programs in the understanding that the best protection is for the child to get the disease at an early age and thus develop immunity for life.
Dr. Jesus Feris Iglesias, director of the infectious diseases department at the hospital, said that the disease generally appears once a year, usually when the weather is warmer. He said it is not a serious disease, but care should be taken. He said the problems come about when children scratch themselves with dirty nails and cause infections. He estimated that 90% of adults are immune to the disease because they have already had the disease in their child hood years.