Health Update: Deadly chickenpox

CHICKENPOX in adults can be fatal, a researcher from the University of Birmingham has warned. Dr Neil Steven reports in MIMS Magazine the recent death of a young man who caught the disease from his five-year-old daughter. The most common complications in adults, says Dr Steven, are inflammation of the lungs and brain. Acyclovir, an antiviral drug, has just been licensed for use for chickenpox in all adults and children and may reduce the severity of an attack.