Roosevelt Latest School on Chickenpox List
By John Stucke, The Spokesman-Review, Spokane, Wash.
Apr. 12–Spokane health officials are warning the parents of Roosevelt Elementary School students about the possibility of chickenpox and encouraging them to vaccinate their children. Letters will be sent soon to raise public awareness and try to short-circuit the disease’s spread.
There have been outbreaks of chickenpox at Garfield and Jefferson elementary schools. The episode has sent several dozen children home until their parents can provide proof of vaccination or that their child has immunity from already having had the disease. Once a rite of passage for young children, chickenpox has become less common because of vaccines administered since the mid-1990s.
It’s also an inconvenience for parents who choose not to vaccinate their children.
Spokane Public Schools spokeswoman Terren Roloff said if parents choose to check an exemption box on school medical records attesting that they aren’t vaccinating their children, the parents also must agree to policies adopted by the Washington Department of Health requiring that the children be sent home in the event of disease outbreaks.
Children may return to classes before the outbreak period expires if they produce written vaccination records, a lab test result showing that a child has been vaccinated or medical records showing the child has already had the disease, said Spokane Regional Health District spokeswoman Julie Graham.
While chickenpox cases are rarely serious, the highly contagious virus can cause serious problems for the elderly, pregnant women and others, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
People with chickenpox are contagious for one to two days before the rash appears, Graham said, and continue to be contagious until all the blisters are crusted over, usually six to eight days.
The rash, actually many small, itchy, red bumps that turn into blisters, usually develops on the scalp and torso. It spreads to the face, arms and legs, according to information provided by health district epidemiologist Bill Edstrom.
Chickenpox lasts about five days.
Vaccines are widely available at medical clinics, pediatricians’ offices and the health district. They are considered safe and effective, and they are free, Graham said. She urged parents to call for appointments.
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