The Branch-Hillsdale-St. Joseph County Health Agency is investigating a possible chickenpox outbreak, Health and Disease Prevention Director Heidi Hazel told the board on Thursday, April 23.
Hazel said her department is investigating a possible outbreak at a St. Joseph County school but could not release further information.
Chickenpox, or varicella, is a reportable and highly contagious viral disease that causes itchy blisters, fever, and fatigue, the agency states.
The state reports that some cases may require students to be excluded from school for 21 days.
Health board member and St. Joseph County Commissioner Rick Shaffer, a registered nurse with five decades of experience, works with a nurse practitioner providing home health care to the Amish community.
Shaffer said two of the 16 Amish church districts in St. Joseph County appear to have chickenpox outbreaks.
“I’m getting a lot of calls asking about the incubation period,” Shaffer said.
Shaffer said before vaccines, people held “chickenpox parties” to foster natural immunity.
Shaffer said he received a call Thursday morning about an Amish wedding that night. “They’re actually taking some of their kids who could be in the incubation period right now, based on early symptoms,” he said.
Shaffer said he has not seen cases outside the Amish communities.
According to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, vaccination with two doses is the primary method of prevention.
The agency said symptoms can appear 10 to 21 days after exposure, starting with a fever followed by a rash that lasts 5 to 10 days.
The virus is contagious for a few days before the rash appears and remains so until all blisters scab over. Most cases are mild, according to the state.
The state recommends seeing a doctor:
In St. Joseph County, the state reports that 68.7% of children under age three have received the vaccine, while 85% of teenagers are vaccinated against chickenpox.
Contact Don Reid, dReid@USATodayCo.Com
This article originally appeared on Sturgis Journal: Health agency investigates St. Joseph County chicken pox outbreak
Reporting by Don Reid, Sturgis Journal / Sturgis Journal
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