San Diego Man Dies of Chickenpox Complications

SAN DIEGO, CA — A 51-year-old San Diego man died recently after contracting the chickenpox virus, county health officials reported Wednesday.

The man, who died Friday, had underlying medical conditions and became ill after exposure to a person with shingles, which is caused by the same varicella-zoster virus that causes chickenpox, according to the San Diego County Health and Human Services Agency.

It marks the first reported death from chickenpox in San Diego since 2012, when a non-resident child died of the disease at a local hospital, officials said. The last San Diego County resident to die from chickenpox was a 50-year-old man in 2010.

"The best way to prevent illnesses caused by the varicella-zoster virus is for children to get two doses of the chickenpox vaccine and adults to get the shingles vaccine when recommended," said Dr. Wilma Wooten, county public health officer. "These vaccines are very safe and effective."

The man who died Friday was not vaccinated for chickenpox or shingles and did not have chickenpox earlier in life, according to Tom Christensen, communications specialist for the county.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends shingles vaccine for adults over 60 years of age.

There is a small chance that a person with a shingles rash can spread the virus to another person who hasn’t had chickenpox and who hasn’t gotten the chickenpox vaccine, health officials say.

The CDC recommends two doses of chickenpox vaccine. Children should be vaccinated between 12 and 15 months of age and receive the second dose between 4 and 6 years of age.

Chickenpox is not reportable to local public health departments unless it occurs in an outbreak or results in a hospitalization or death. There have been four outbreaks and 37 cases of chickenpox reported in San Diego County so far this year.

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The disease is easily spread by coughing, sneezing or being in contact with chickenpox blisters, health officials say. Symptoms include a skin rash of blister-like lesions covering the body, but usually more concentrated on the face, scalp and trunk. The risk of complications increases after puberty and includes bacterial infection of skin lesions, dehydration and pneumonia.

Most, but not all, individuals with chickenpox have fever, which develops just before or when the rash appears. If exposed, persons who have been vaccinated against the disease may get a milder illness, with less severe rash and mild or no fever. The illness lasts about 5 to 10 days.

Shingles is a painful rash that develops in people who have had chickenpox. Shingles usually develops on one side of the body, often the face or torso. The rash forms blisters that typically scab over in 7 to 10 days and clears up within 2 to 4 weeks. For some people the pain can last for months or even years after the rash goes away. This long-lasting pain is called post-herpetic neuralgia, and it is the most common complication of shingles.

For more information on chickenpox, shingles and immunizations in general, call the HHSA Immunization Branch at 866-358-2966 or visit the website at Sdiz.org.

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