Chickenpox ARDS in a health care worker following occupational exposure.
A case is described of chickenpox acute respiratory distress syndrome in an ambulance driver after the inter-hospital transfer of a patient known to have chickenpox pneumonia. Following this exposure, he neither avoided patient contact nor received varicella zoster immune globulin. He subsequently required 13 days of ventilatory support before making a full recovery. The case described supports the contention that health care workers should be screened by serology for immunity to chickenpox before patient contact occurs, with subsequent vaccination of those who are non-immune, when the vaccine becomes available.
Knaggs
A
A
Department of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care Medicine, Cork University Hospital, Wilton, Ireland.
Gallagher
J
J
Shorten
G D
GD
D000328:Adult; D002644:Chickenpox / Q000635:transmission*; D004634:Emergency Medical Technicians; D006801:Humans; D017758:Infectious Disease Transmission, Patient-to-Professional; D008297:Male; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000821:virology*; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects*; D010360:Patient Transfer; D012128:Respiratory Distress Syndrome / Q000821:virology*