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Elementary school disinfected after student diagnosed with Chickenpox

NEWMARKET, N.H. — A student at Newmarket Elementary School in New Hampshire has been diagnosed with chickenpox.

A letter sent home to parents and guardians Wednesday states chickenpox is unlikely to be spread without direct, prolonged exposure to the sick child. As a precaution, the school disinfected the classrooms and common areas throughout the building.

Dr. Brian Chow, an infectious disease specialist at Tufts Medical Center, told Boston 25 News chickenpox is becoming much less common because of routine vaccination. In fact, some younger doctors and nurses may have never seen a case.

The infected child was up-to-date on her vaccinations. However, Dr. Chow said breakthrough chickenpox can occur in about 1-in-20 vaccinated persons.

“When it does happen, the case is much less severe than if the person had not been vaccinated,” Dr. Chow said.

Chickenpox is an infectious disease caused by the varicella-zoster virus.

“Children with chickenpox will have fever and a rash, which starts with vesicles (bubbles of clear fluid) surrounded by redness of the skin,” Dr. Chow said. “These will eventually break and scab over.”

Dr. Chow said most school-aged children have received the chickenpox vaccine as part of their routine schedule, so it’s very likely classmates of the infected child won’t have any problems at all.

If parents believe their child may have chickenpox, they should contact their child’s doctor. Dr. Chow said to tell the doctor a classmate of your child has chickenpox so they can provide appropriate guidance.

“If a child does develop chickenpox, parents should be watch for worsening of fever, difficulty breathing, or redness of the skin spreading out from a vesicle,” Dr. Chow said. “These could be symptoms of another infection developing.”

If a child has any special health problems which puts them at higher risk for infection, they should discuss with their doctor to see if any additional measures are needed now.