Mink hospitalized
with pneumonia

The congresswoman was diagnosed
with chickenpox last week

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By Richard Borreca
rborreca@starbulletin.com

U.S. Rep. Patsy Mink is hospitalized with pneumonia after being diagnosed last week with chickenpox, said Joan Manke, administrative assistant for her Honolulu office.

Mink, 74, had been scheduled to fly back to Washington this week after the August recess.

"The family is concerned about her," Manke said.

Manke said she has not been able to talk to Mink since she has been hospitalized because of her illness and because she had to be quarantined.

Manke declined to say when she thought Mink would be released from the hospital. She said Mink was admitted to the hospital "almost one week ago."

Dr. Paul Effler, acting chief of the Communicable Disease Division, said chickenpox in adults is serious.

"For folks that are older, chickenpox is no walk in the park," Effler said. "Obviously, her doctors have assessed the situation and thought it best to treat her in the hospital."

Chickenpox is caused by the Varicella zoster virus and is usually mild, but it may be severe in infants, adults and persons with impaired immune systems, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control.

The CDC reports that chickenpox has a characteristic itchy rash, which then forms blisters that dry and become scabs in four or five days. The rash may be the first sign of illness, sometimes coupled with fever and general malaise which is usually more severe in adults.

Effler said that since 1995 there has been a vaccine available to protect persons from the virus, and it is now required for all children entering preschool.

Dr. William Lau, with Queen's Medical Center, noted that chickenpox in children is common and not something to cause alarm. And it is also not unheard-of for adults.

"I got chickenpox when I was an intern, so it does occurs in adults," Lau said.

He noted that usually if the adult chickenpox is confined to a skin rash, patients are not hospitalized, but if there is a concern with complications, the patient is hospitalized.

There are more serious complications of chickenpox, including pneumonia, hepatitis (liver inflammation) and encephalitis, according to Lau and Effler.

Mink, a Democrat, is the congresswoman for Hawaii's 2nd Congressional District, rural Oahu through the neighbor islands. She was a member of the U.S. House from 1964 to 1976. She served on the City Council from 1983 to 1987 and then the U.S. House since 1990.

She is opposed in the Sept. 21 primary election by Democrat Steve Tataii.