Friday's Internet Edition, July 04, 2008.
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News editor -
Five confirmed cases of the chicken-pox virus has been reported in two Copperas Cove Independent School District schools over the past week
Deputy Superintendent Martin Brubaker said that four cases were confirmed at Hollie Parsons Elementary with one more pending and one case confirmed at Mae Stevens Elementary.
“We want parents to realize that every child who has been diagnosed has been previously vaccinated against the strain,” Brubaker said. “However, the vaccine is only about 80 percent effective. That means that there is still a 20 percent chance that you could have a breakout of this virus,”
Brubaker said that letters were sent home to parents in the two elementary schools on Monday. The letters will identify what symptoms to look out for in their children. Symptoms to look for are:
A rash that usually begins on the body and face and later often spreads to the scalp and limbs. It may also spread to the mucous membranes especially in the mouth and on the genitals. The rash is often itchy and begins as small red spots, which develop into blisters in a couple of hours. After one or two days, the blisters turn into scabs. New blisters may appear after three to six days. The number of blisters differs greatly from one person to another. The infected person may run a temperature. These symptoms are mild in young children. Chickenpox lasts 7 to 10 days in children and longer in adults.
Brubaker said that while school officials believe this is a case where students are falling in that 20 percentage of breakouts, they have notified the health department as a precautionary measure.
“We don’t think this is anything too out of the ordinary, but when you get a list of kids who are affected by this and they have been previously vaccinated against, you have to be careful,” Brubaker said. “We don’t think it’s a new strain of chickenpox. But we will monitor the situation.”