Varicella Virus Out Break on School Children at North Carolina

In spite of Chicken Pox Vaccine that came out more than 20 years ago, and due to parents carelessness to vaccinate their children, last week, about 35-40 students, between kindergarten and sixth grade at Asheville Waldorf School became victims of the chickenpox, a viral infection. This school has one of the highest vaccination religious exemption rates in the state.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports each year, 4 million Americans are affected by this viral infection, as much as 150 deaths recorded.  In the total of 152 students, 110 students have not received the chickenpox vaccination. The southern state is one of the several that provide religious exemptions for parents.

In North Carolina, immunization against the major virus including Diphtheria, Tetanus, MMR. Whooping cough, Chickenpox is required, but there was not much cooperation from the parent�s side.  Only when a sufficiently large percentage of a population has been vaccinated, herd immunity results, however, derived from a virus affecting cows.

The Chicken Pox Vaccine is advised to be given to infants of 12-15 months with a booster administered between 4 to 6-year-old children.  Because of parents negligence to vaccination, unvaccinated American children under the age of three has nearly quadrupled in twenty years.  Health officials� advice to the community to do their part in stopping the spread of the outbreak.

In the press release county Medical Director Dr. Jennifer Mullendore says that vaccination is the best protection from chickenpox, two doses of varicella vaccine can offer valuable protection against childhood chickenpox.

The virus can affect even adults irrespective of the age.  However, natural food such as button onions makes the immune power stronger.  Key ingredients in raw fresh button onions help to fight against any bacterial or viral infection. A UCL and Birkbeck-led study suggests that a type of onion could help to fight against antibiotic-resistant bacteria in tuberculosis patients.

According to Professor Gibbons, Head of UCL Pharmaceutical and Biological Chemistry, natural products from plants and their microbes have enormous potential to fight against the infections. They suggest plants such as Persian shallot (Allium stipitatum)produce chemicals as a defense against microbes. Dr. Bhakta and Gibbons had dedicated their research to discover new antibiotics chemotypes using plants.