Kenyans have called on the Ministry of Health to launch an inquest into spreading fears of a suspected Chickenpox outbreak within Nairobi.
These worrying reports that emerged earlier this week have been strongly fueled by personal experiences widely shared across social media by a significant amount of netizens.
The traction surrounding the subject was so high that by Tuesday, 21st December 2021, it was already among the top trending topics on Twitter.
In one viral post seen by kenyanbulletin.com, a Nairobian revealed how the highly contagious viral infection forced him into self-quarantine.
“I am infected already and it comes with a lot of pain from swelling everywhere,” he wrote, attached with an image that quite accurately portrayed his predicament.
In a subsequent post, a middle-aged lady revealed how she woke up to the shock of two people from her apartment block suffering from the virus.
“They are both adults, What’s happening?” she asked.
From one of the replies to her tweet, another netizen based in Nairobi confirmed that he knew of 5 other cases of Chickenpox in adults.
“Ala, that makes it now 6 Kenyans I heard who have had chickenpox this month,” he wrote.
In another post currently doing rounds on the timeline, an influential female tweep last week disclosed to her followers that she had picked up the virus despite having managed to evade the deadly COVID-19.
“I don’t leave my house and avoid crowds generally, Misses the Rona but gets the Chickenpox,” she wrote.
As Kenyans wait for an official response from Mutahi Kagwe or his representatives, panic slowly continues to grip the online community, bringing back dark memories from 2020 when the virus had ravaged the urban population.
At the time, the Health Ministry confirmed up to 1,000 cases of Chickenpox in both Nairobi and Mombasa.
But unlike this year’s case, most patients at the time were reported to be young patients and not adults.
Although it is widely assumed that chickenpox is a childhood disease, adults are still susceptible to the virus that is often recognized by a rash of itchy red blisters that appear on the face, neck, body, arms, and legs.
But according to medical experts, those who have had chickenpox typically have an immunity to the disease.
So, if you had chickenpox as a child, it’s unlikely you will get chickenpox as an adult.
Have you experienced or heard of a Chickenpox case in your neighbourhood? Let us know in the comments section and help push the Health Ministry into taking action.
