More than 20 chickenpox outbreaks at migrant accommodation centres in one region
Pregnant women who were not immune to the disease could not be moved due to a lack of alternative accommodation, posing "unique challenges" for public health authorities
More than 20 chickenpox outbreaks have been recorded at migrant accommodation centres in one HSE region since the beginning of last year, posing “unique challenges” for public health authorities.
A total of 87 cases were reported during 22 outbreak events at International Protection Accommodation Services (IPAS) or Beneficiary of Temporary Protection (BOTP) centres in the Dublin and South East region during the period.
A shortage of alternative accommodation and logistical difficulties meant that pregnant women who were not immune to chickenpox could not be moved from the centres where outbreaks occurred.
The details were contained in correspondence from two public health experts published in the latest issue of the Irish Medical Journal. The Dublin South East region includes Carlow, Kilkenny, Waterford, Wexford, east Wicklow, south Tipperary, and south east Dublin.
READ MORE: Gerry 'The Monk' Hutch free to return to Ireland to run in general election
READ MORE: Cost of driving licence, test and NCT recommended to rise as part of Road Safety Authority reform
A total of 22 pregnant women had contact with infected individuals at the accommodation centres in the region between January 2023 and August 12 of this year. Five of these were not immune to chickenpox.
Post-exposure prophylaxis was given to these women in line with national guidelines. They experienced no complications and none of them required hospitalisation.
The authors of the correspondence – experts from the Department of Public Health in the region, and the School of Public Health at University College Cork (UCC) – said significant challenges had been encountered in dealing with the outbreaks.
“From a public health perspective, it is important to highlight the vulnerabilities faced by displaced populations to infectious illness, especially non-immune pregnant women resident in BOTP and IPAS settings,” they wrote.
“Outbreaks in these settings present a significant risk, and are notifiable under infectious disease regulations. Our experience highlighted a number of challenges. Usually, public health teams advocate removing non-immune pregnant women from congregated settings to reduce exposure risk,” they explained.
“However, limited accommodation, logistical challenges, and family circumstances usually precludes this.”
They said it was not always possible to carry out urgent testing in a timely manner in these settings, and mass vaccination also posed “unique challenges” regarding record-keeping, informed consent, language barriers, and human resources.
“The public health response to these outbreaks was critical in protecting the pregnant women, as well as preventing further ongoing transmission,” they added.
Chickenpox in pregnancy can be extremely serious, posing a risk of causing birth defects including scarring, neurological problems, gastrointestinal complications, and low birth weight.
If a woman contracts the disease immediately before or after giving birth, her baby can develop a serious infection called neonatal varicella, which can be left-threatening.
Join the Irish Mirror’s breaking news service on WhatsApp. Click this link to receive breaking news and the latest headlines direct to your phone. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
Related
Share this page
Guest Posts by Easy Branches
