GENTRY -- Notices were sent home last week to parents of Gentry Middle School students from the Arkansas Department of Health in Rogers advising them that a case of varicella (better known as chickenpox) has been identified in the seventh and eighth grades.
On Tuesday of this week, another letter was sent home to parents in the school district, this one from Randy Barrett, superintendent of Gentry Schools. It read (in part): "Please be advised that there is a 'rash' of chickenpox cases at Gentry Middle School and one confirmed case at the high school. This includes one middle school teacher.
"Your children should have been immunized for varicella, but there is still a slight risk to develop a mild infection. By directive of the Arkansas Department of Health, students who develop a rash, sores or lesions should be kept at home until such areas are dry and 'scabbed over.'
"If your child has never received the chickenpox immunization, they should remain at home until this outbreak is over. Please notify the officials at your child(ren)'s school(s) so that these absences can be excused."
The initial notice, signed by Dirk Haselow, M.D. and medical director of the communicable disease/immunization section, also told parents that, though their children have been immunized against chickenpox, there is still a slight chance that some children could develop a mild infection.
The notice states that parents should keep a child home from school if the child breaks out with a rash, sores or lesions and not return the child to school until the lesions have dried and scabbed. It also asks parents to notify the school nurse if a child develops the above symptoms of the disease.
The following is information on chickenpox from the ADH website:
What is chickenpox?
Chickenpox is a disease caused by the varicella-zoster virus. It causes a rash and fever and can be serious, especially for babies, adolescents, adults, pregnant women and people with weakened immune systems. The chickenpox vaccine protects against this disease.
What are the symptoms of chickenpox?
Chickenpox causes a rash of itchy blisters. It starts on the face, chest, back and stomach. A person can have 250 to 500 blisters. The rash can spread over the whole body, including inside the mouth, eyelids or genital area. Chickenpox also causes fever, headache and tiredness. People are usually sick for 5 to 10 days.
You can still get chickenpox if you have been vaccinated against the disease. But it is usually milder with less than 50 blisters and little or no fever.
How serious is
chickenpox?
Most children with chickenpox completely recover in a week. But, the itching can be very uncomfortable. Children with chickenpox miss several days of school or child care.
The disease can also cause serious problems, including:
Bacterial infection of the skin and tissues under the skin (including Group A streptococcal infections); dehydration (loss of body fluids) from vomiting or diarrhea; pneumonia (lung infection); and encephalitis (brain swelling). Some people may need hospital care. Chickenpox can even be deadly.
How does chickenpox spread?
Chickenpox spreads easily through the air when an infected person coughs or sneezes. It can also spread by touching fluid from blisters.
Children with chickenpox usually must miss school or child care for several days to avoid spreading the virus to others.
If a person vaccinated for chickenpox gets the disease, they can still spread it to others.
General News on 05/21/2014