Millis Public Schools

CFB Updates
Published on Jun 15, 2017 15:25

Millis Public Schools

School Health

Clyde Brown School

This is to inform you that a kindergarten student in Clyde Brown School has been diagnosed with Chicken Pox.  There is a possibility that your child may have been exposed to this disease.

The signs and symptoms, mode of transmission and incubation period are as follows:

Signs and Symptoms: Chicken pox is a highly contagious childhood disease.  Early signs and symptoms include sudden onset of slight fever, a vague feeling of body weakness or discomfort (malaise) and loss of appetite.  Within 24 hours an itchy rash begins on the back and chest, then spreads to the face and other areas.  This progresses to a red elevated pimple-like rash that breaks, drains and forms scabs for 3 to 4 days.  The skin rash goes through typical stages: flat red spots, raised spots, small blisters and crusting blisters.  Lesions commonly occur in successive crops, with several stages of maturity present at the same time.  They tend to be more abundant on covered rather than on exposed parts of the body. They may appear on the scalp, high in the armpit or on mucous membranes of the mouth, upper respiratory track and on the lining of the eyelids.  There may be so few as to escape observation.

Mode of Transmission:  From person to person, by direct contact, droplet or airborne spread of vesicle fluid or secretions of respiratory tract.  It may also be spread indirectly though articles freshly soiled by discharges from blisters and mucous membranes of infected persons. Chicken pox occurs frequently before Reye’s Syndrome.  All parents and students should be advised against the use of aspirin when infected with chicken pox and other viral infections.

Incubation Period:  From 2 to 3 weeks; commonly 14 to 16 days.

Should your child present any of these symptoms, we recommend that you consult your family health care provider. Any student presenting these signs and symptoms will be excluded from school.  Students must have a note from a health care provider stating they are non-communicable in order to return to school. Students may return to school when all scabs are dry.

If you have any questions, please feel free to call us.

Sincerely,

Suzanne Lortie, RN

Diane Danehy RN, MPH

508-376-7004

https://www.cdc.gov/chickenpox/about/transmission.html