Information on the Chicken
Pox Virus (Varicella)
TO:
The Wellesley College Community
FROM: Kim Goff-Crews, Dean of Students
Dr. Vanessa Britto, Director of Health Services
DATE: September 14, 2006
RE: Health Concern
A Wellesley
College student who returned to campus in early September has
been diagnosed, treated and is recovering from chicken pox (varicella).
She is no longer infectious. Although no one else on campus has
developed chicken pox, Health Services has determined that five
students who were in direct contact with the student may be at
risk because they have not been vaccinated against the disease
nor have they had it. Health Service staff, working with the
Massachusetts Department of Public Health, have determined that
no one else in our community is considered to be at risk. (Over
100 student health charts have been screened to determine who
may be at risk, and relevant faculty and staff have been notified).
Massachusetts
Isolation and Quarantine Requirements (105 CMR 300.000) mandate
that these identified students must be quarantined during
the 14 -day period of time when they may be infectious. That period
begins on Saturday, Sept. 16, and ends on Friday, Sept. 29. All
affected students have been contacted. We are awaiting reply from
two students.
Isolating these susceptible students will protect the community
from continued risk of infection
and, again, is a procedure mandated by the Department of Public
Health.
Most adults
in the U.S. are immune to chicken pox. A chicken pox vaccination
also protects against the disease. Typically, people
receive the vaccination at age 12-18 months. If you are not sure
if you have had chicken pox or if you have been vaccinated, please
contact your family doctor (or parent, if you are a student) if
you have any questions or concerns.
Again, please be assured that you are not considered at risk
unless you have been contacted by Health Services.
Below is a fact sheet about chicken pox from the Massachusetts
Department of Public Health, which can be read online at http://www.mass.gov/dph/cdc/factsheets/fscpox.pdf
This information
is also available on the parent hotline at 781-283-2450
or through the Massachusetts Department of Public Health at the
numbers below.
Public Health Fact Sheet
Chickenpox (Varicella)
Massachusetts Department of Public Health, 305 South Street, Jamaica
Plain, MA 02130
What is chickenpox?
Chickenpox, also called varicella, is caused by a very contagious
virus. People with chickenpox get an itchy rash that looks like
tiny blisters. The rash usually starts on the face, stomach,
chest or back, and spreads to other parts of the body.
A mild fever, tiredness, and slight body discomfort usually come
with the rash. Anyone who hasn’t had chickenpox already can
get it, but it is most common among children under 15 years old.
More than 90% of US adults have already had chickenpox.
A vaccine is available to prevent the disease. However, sometimes
people who have had the vaccine will still get chickenpox (called ‘breakthrough
disease’). If vaccinated people do get chickenpox, it is
usually very mild. They will have fewer spots, are less likely
to have a fever, and will recover faster.
Is chickenpox dangerous?
Yes, it can be. Before the vaccine became available in 1995 about
11,000 people were hospitalized for chickenpox each year in the
US, and about 100 people died. Chickenpox can lead to severe
skin infection, scars, pneumonia, brain damage and death. Serious
complications (such as pneumonia) are rare, but are more common
in newborns, pregnant women, people with weak immune systems,
and adults in general. A person who has had chickenpox can also
get a painful rash, called shingles (zoster), years later.
How is chickenpox spread?
Chickenpox is spread from person to person by coughing, sneezing,
or touching the rash. People with chickenpox can spread the disease
from 1 – 2 days before symptoms start until all the lesions
are crusted over (usually about 5 days). However, people with
weak immune systems are contagious longer, usually as long as
new blisters keep appearing.
Symptoms usually appear about 10 – 21 days after exposure
to the virus. Under state regulations, people with chickenpox must
stay out of school and work until all their blisters have dried
and crusted.
Who gets chickenpox?
• Anyone who has never had chickenpox and has never been vaccinated.
However, sometimes, even people that have been vaccinated will
still get chickenpox if exposed, but the disease is usually much
milder and goes away sooner.
• Babies younger than 12 months old, because they are too young to
be vaccinated.
How can you prevent chickenpox?
• Protect your children by having them vaccinated when they are 12-18
months old, or at any age after that if they have never had chickenpox.
It is important to make sure children who have not had chickenpox
get vaccinated before their 13th birthday due to an increased risk
of complications after this age.
• Adolescents and adults who are not immune to chickenpox, particularly
those who are health care workers or who live with someone who
has a weakened immune system, should be vaccinated. Women who plan
to have children and are not immune should also be vaccinated.
Adolescents (aged 13 and older) and adults need two doses of varicella
vaccine for protection.
•
If a person receives chickenpox vaccine within 3 (and possibly
up to 5) days of being in contact with someone with chickenpox,
there is a good chance they won’t get sick.
• Some people who have not had chickenpox disease or vaccine are
at increased risk for complications (such as newborns, pregnant
women, and people with weakened immune systems) if they are exposed
to chickenpox. They should get a shot of antibodies to chickenpox,
called varicella-zoster immune globulin (VZIG), (instead of vaccine)
to lower their chances of severe complications like pneumonia.
VZIG offers only short-term protection, so anyone who gets it will
still need to be vaccinated as described above in order to have
long-term protection against chickenpox.
• State regulations require certain groups to be vaccinated against
chickenpox. Children attending licensed child care or preschool,
and school-age children entering certain grades must show proof
of either receiving varicella vaccine or having a reliable proof
of immunity. A reliable proof of immunity is defined as 1) physician
interpretation of parent/guardian description of chickenpox; 2)
physician diagnosis of chickenpox; or 3) serologic (blood test)
proof of immunity. Children in child care, preschool and grades
K-12 will be required to show immunity by 2005.
Should pregnant women worry about chickenpox?
Pregnant women who have already had chickenpox disease or the vaccine
do not need to worry. However, women who are not immune, who
get chickenpox while they are pregnant, are more likely than
other adults to develop serious complications. The unborn baby
can also be affected. Babies born to mothers with a current case
of chickenpox can develop high fevers and other serious problems.
Pregnant women who have been exposed to somebody with chickenpox
should see a doctor immediately. Those who are not sure if they
had chickenpox as a child can have a blood test to see if they
are protected against the virus. If they are not protected, they
may need to get a shot of VZIG to lower their chances
of severe complications.
Can you get chickenpox more than once?
Yes, but it is very uncommon. In most cases, once you have had
chickenpox, you cannot get it again. However, the virus that
causes chickenpox stays in your body the rest of your life. Years
later it can give you a rash called shingles, which doctors call ‘herpes
zoster’. The shingles rash looks like chickenpox, but it
usually shows up on only one part of your body and does not spread.
Unlike chickenpox, shingles is painful. Children sometimes get
shingles, but it is more common among adults. Touching fluid
from the shingles rash can spread the virus that causes chickenpox
to people who are not immune.
Is varicella vaccine safe?
Yes, it is safe for most people. However, a vaccine, like any medicine,
is capable of causing problems like fever, mild rash, temporary
pain or stiffness in the joints, and allergic reactions. More
severe problems are very rare. About 70– 86% of people
who get the vaccine are protected from chickenpox.
Who should not get varicella vaccine?
• People who have serious allergies to gelatin, the drug neomycin,
or a previous dose of the vaccine should not get the vaccine.
• Pregnant women should not get varicella vaccine until after they
deliver their babies.
• People with cancer, HIV, or other problems that weaken the immune
system should check with their doctor or nurse before being vaccinated.
• People who recently had a blood transfusion or were given other
blood products (including VZIG) should ask their doctor when they
can get chickenpox vaccine.
• People with high fevers should not be vaccinated until after the
fever and other symptoms are gone.
Where can I get more information?
• Your doctor, nurse or clinic, or your local board of health (listed
in the phone book under local government).
• The Massachusetts Department of Public Health, Immunization Program
(617) 983-6800 or toll-free at
(888)-658-2850, or on the MDPH Web site at http://www.state.ma.us/dph/.
Northeast Regional Office, Tewksbury (978) 851-7261
Central Regional Office, West Boylston (508) 792-7880
Southeast Regional Office, Taunton (508) 977-3709
Metro/Boston* Regional Office, Jamaica Plain (617) 983-6860
Western Regional Office, Amherst (413) 545-6600
*Boston providers and residents may also call the Boston Public
Health Commission at (617) 534-5611.
• CDC
National Immunization Information Hotline
English: 1-800-232-2522 or Spanish: 1-800-232-0233 (Mon – Fri,
8am – 11pm)
TTY: 1-800-243-7889 (Mon – Fri, 10am – 10pm)
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