A Patient In Medical Training

Image from smartphone

Right there on my face are vesicular rashes from Herpes zosters infection, commonly known as Chickenpox. This illness came straight from the pit of hell: it itches like mad and the headache that follows could almost shatter my skull.

Image from smartphone

Image from smartphone

"Chickenpox is a highly infectious vaccine preventable viral illness. It can be transmitted through close contact with infected person and respiratory droplets" -- Davidson's principle and practice of medicine.

I contracted it during my paediatrics rotation in the University of Port Harcourt Teaching hospital. I experienced the worst fever ever in my life, my temperature was above 39 degree Celsius. I was dizzy, weak, lethargic and the features were so severe that I could bearly leave my bed. I was asked by my doctor to self isolate for more than a week, because of the high transmission rate of this disease.

At about the early hours on the fourth day of my illness, I felt a severe form of weakness that can't be described with words, and eventually fainted. I was rushed to the hospital by my friends where I regained consciousness following resuscitation after 30min.

On the day six, the rash has started to disappear and on the 10th day I was back to the hospital as a doctor in training in the paediatrics ward rather than a chickenpox patient.

Image from smartphone

Chickenpox is preventable, though still remains common in developing countries because the vaccine is not readily available and not free.