Public Information Office 210 S. McDonald Street Suite 626 McKinney, Texas 75069 www.collincountytx.gov

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 24, 2005

Collin County Health Care Services urges precautions for families exposed to Chickenpox

(McKinney, TX) – Collin County Health Care Services is urging parents to keep children exposed to Varicella (Chickenpox) away from others, even if they have been vaccinated. Since January, nearly 200 cases of Chickenpox have been reported to the Collin County Health Department. Most of these are mild cases in persons who received the Varicella vaccination.

“Residents need to remember that even though a person may have received the vaccination, it doesn’t mean they won’t get Chickenpox,” says Collin County Nurse Epidemiologist Janet Glowicz. “Breakthrough infection is a significantly milder infection. Persons may have less than 50 lesions, and the lesions may not develop vesicles. And, sometimes individuals do not have a fever if they received the vaccination.”

Parents are asked to remember the following points:

• Vaccinated children will have shorter, less severe infections, but they are transmissible.
• Children should stay home until all lesions are scabbed or if no scabs develop until no more lesions are appearing.
• The vaccine helps prevent more serious infections, unvaccinated children and immune suppressed people are more at risk for complications of disease.

Varicella vaccine was licensed in the United States in 1995. Prior to the creation of the vaccination, 11,000 people were hospitalized with Chickenpox every year. Complications of chickenpox include secondary bacterial infections of skin lesions, pneumonia and infrequently encephalitis. One in 60,000 persons died and most deaths occurred in children and adults with normal immune systems. Chickenpox is seasonal with most infections occurring in the spring and fall. Chickenpox is highly contagious and nine out of 10 susceptible household contacts will become infected.

Varicella vaccine is given between 12-18 months of age.

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