Chicken Pox Alert in Primary School

Dear Parents,

Please be alerted to the fact that we have had a case of chicken pox in the Primary School.
Please look at the sheet below so that you are well informed about this infection disease.

Sincerely,
Primary Office.

Chickenpox

What is chickenpox?

• Chickenpox is caused by a virus called Varicella Zoster virus.
• Most children who get chickenpox have a mild illness, but some can become quite ill. If adults get chickenpox they may have a more severe illness.
• Chickenpox usually lasts about 7-10 days.
• The illness may start with a fever and feeling unwell, like having a cold. In some children the first sign of the infection is the rash.
• The rash usually starts on the chest, and most spots appear on the chest and head (including on the face and under the hair), although some children and adults can have spots all over the body (rarely on the palms of the hands and soles of the feet).
• The spots start as red, itchy lumps, which then become blisters. The top comes off of the blister and watery fluid escapes. Then a crust forms on the spot. This crust takes about 5 days to fall off.

How is chickenpox spread?

• The infection is spread when the person sneezes or coughs, or when someone touches the fluid in the blisters. It can also be spread by touching something that has touched the fluid from the blisters (e.g. a dressing which covered the sore).
• Chickenpox can be caught from the fluid in the blisters of someone with shingles, though this is rare.
• The person with chickenpox is contagious from the beginning of the illness (up to 2 days before the spots appear) until about 5 days after the first spots appear. So long as there are no new blisters or moist crusts on spots, the person will not be contagious even if there are still crusts on the skin.
• Chickenpox is very contagious (easy to catch). Over 90% of close contacts (such as other family members) will get chickenpox if they have not already had it or not been immunized.

How long does it take to develop?

• Chickenpox usually takes around 14-15 days to develop after contact with someone who has it (range 10 to 21 days).

Keeping children away from school or child care

A child should be kept at home for 5 days after the first spots appear, or until all blisters are dry if this takes longer. Some scabs will still be there but as long as they are dry the child does not need to be kept out of school, or away from others.

What are the treatments for chickenpox?

Most cases of chickenpox require little or no treatment beyond treating the symptoms.

The prescription antiviral drug acyclovir is effective for shortening the duration of chickenpox symptoms and may be recommended for certain people with chickenpox, such as pregnant women, those with a weakened immune system, and adults who seek medical advice within 24 hours of the rash appearing.

In addition, your doctor may recommend over-the-counter painkillers and an antihistamine to relieve pain, itching and swelling. Antibiotics are called for if a secondary bacterial skin infection arises or if the person with chickenpox develops bacterial pneumonia.

http://www.cyh.com