GPs warned over chickenpox drug

By MARTIN JOHNSTON

Doctors have been told to be careful when using a common painkiller in children with chickenpox because of a link to a deadly flesh-eating disease.

Some studies have found a higher incidence of the disease, necrotising fasciitis, among chickenpox patients treated with ibuprofen.

The drug is sold under brand-names which include Nurofen. It is in the group known as non-steroidal anti-inflammatories - which includes Voltaren - all of which have been linked to the disease.

Starship children's hospital paediatrician Dr Lesley Voss has had an article published on a Health Ministry website advising GPs to be cautious.