Date: ______
Dear Parent/Guardian,
Chickenpox has been reported in your child’s school. Below is some information you may find helpful regarding this condition. Contact your health care provider if you notice symptoms in your child. Please call the school nurse at your child’s school if you have questions.
DEFINITION:
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.
CHARACTERISTICS:
Chickenpox causes a rash of itchy blisters. It starts on the face, chest, back, and stomach. The rash can spread over the whole body. The rash begins as red bumps which develop into blisters, then pop to form scabs. Chickenpox also causes fever, headache, and fatigue. People are usually sick for 5 to 10 days. Chickenpox spreads easily through the air when an infected person coughs or sneezes. It can also be spread by touching fluid from blisters. Chickenpox is contagious from a few days before the rash to when all the blisters have formed scabs. The time from exposure to developing symptoms is 2 to 3 weeks.
You can still get chickenpox if you have been vaccinated against the disease but it is usually milder with less blisters and little or no fever.
TREATMENT:
If you suspect your child has chickenpox, contact your health care provider. Your health care provider can prescribe medications to lessen the severity of the disease and treat any complications. Children with chickenpox must remain out of school until all sores are dry and scabbed, usually between 5 to 7 days.
______
District School Nurse
Special Programs Office
1401 Broadway Ave. / Atwater, CA 95301
(209) 357-6100 / FAX: (209) 358-0133
Chicken pox – English/cb/mw/05/07/13