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Chicken pox outbreak spurs call for vaccinations

BY KAREN SHIDELER

The Wichita Eagle

An outbreak of chicken pox at two Sedgwick County schools has prompted the Sedgwick County Health Department to urge children and adults to get a vaccination if they have not already done so.

Tanglewood Elementary in Derby had 29 students with chicken pox as of Monday. Clearwater Intermediate School had about 10. In all, 43 cases have been confirmed in Sedgwick County.

Claudia Blackburn, Health Department director, said Monday that 55 cases were reported in 2007 and 23 cases in 2006. Having so many cases already this year is worrisome, she said.

Children in kindergarten through third grade are required to have one dose of chicken pox vaccine, and a booster is recommended. The vaccine is recommended for older students and adults who have not had the disease, she said.

The vaccine becomes effective within three to five days, so even if someone has been exposed, it can prevent or lessen the disease.

Chicken pox is a highly contagious viral disease spread by coughing and sneezing. It causes an uncomfortable, itchy rash -- concentrated on the face, scalp and trunk -- along with fever and headache. It's usually a mild disease that lasts five to 10 days, but it can cause serious problems. Older children and adults are more likely to get sicker from it.

Wayne Burke, Derby's assistant superintendent of human resources, said Tanglewood has 308 students and is the only Derby school where chicken pox has been reported.

During an outbreak, if a student in kindergarten through third grade has not been vaccinated, he or she can be excluded from school for 21 days from the time of the latest case. Burke said he thought only one student was in that category.

He said parents had been sent two letters since the outbreak began a couple of weeks ago, with both letters "highly recommending that they go ahead and get the booster." Of those who have gotten sick, he said, some had never been vaccinated and some had only one dose of the vaccine.

The Derby schools already had been urging students to practice good hygiene habits -- such as covering coughs and sneezes and washing hands -- because of other winter illnesses, he said. And classrooms at Tanglewood have gotten extra cleanings to try to slow the spread of chicken pox.

At Clearwater Intermediate Center, which houses fourth through sixth grades, about 10 cases have been reported, a school secretary said. The Clearwater schools' Web site has advice to parents for what to look for and how to care for children with chicken pox.

That includes using cool baths and calamine lotion to ease itching, and acetaminophen or ibuprofen for fever.

Vaccine should be available at your doctor's office. It also is available at the Health Department's Clinical Services office, 2716 W. Central.

Low-cost vaccine is available for uninsured and underinsured children who meet eligibility requirements. Private insurance will be filed. The full cost of the vaccine is $102.

Reach Karen Shideler at 316-268-6674 or kshideler@wichitaeagle.com.