http://www.ctnow.com/news/local/nc/hc-sufvaccine1205.artdec05.story

 

Chickenpox Outbreak May Be Subsiding
December 5, 2001
By MARK SPENCER, Courant Staff Writer

SUFFIELD -- An outbreak of chickenpox in local schools appears to have peaked, with only two new probable cases reported Tuesday.

School officials sent a letter home to parents with students Tuesday informing them of the situation and providing basic information about the disease.

"I hope we've turned the corner," Superintendent of Schools William Troy said Tuesday.

About eight cases were reported at Spaulding and Bridge Street schools last week. By Monday, the total had reached 35 cases, with two cases at McAlister Middle School. No cases have been reported at Suffield High School.

Twenty of the students had been vaccinated against the disease, Troy said.

The vaccination - required for students born after Jan. 1, 1997 - is supposed to be 85 percent to 95 percent effective. State health officials say it's still possible for immunized children to get a mild or moderate case.

But one doctor who treated several immunized Suffield children said some of them had more severe symptoms than she would have expected. Vaccinated children are generally not expected to develop more than 50 lesions, the red spots that characterize chickenpox.

Dr. Marilyn Bacon, who practices at Pedicorp in Windsor, said several immunized children she has seen in recent days had developed more than 50 lesions, or looked like they would. None of the immunized children had "severe" cases, she said.

Vincent Sacco, program manager for the state Department of Public Health immunization department, said the situation in Suffield is not unusual because many children are still not immunized and can expose vaccinated children to chickenpox.

"It still wouldn't be anything at this point that's out of the ordinary," he said.

Chickenpox cases must now be reported to the state - as of Jan. 1, 2001 - so state officials can start to study whether the vaccination is as effective as previous studies indicate. The vaccine was approved for use in the United States in 1995.

Although current guidelines call for a single dose of the vaccine, Sacco said researchers may eventually consider whether a second dose should be recommended.

 

ALL INFORMATION, DATA, AND MATERIAL CONTAINED, PRESENTED, OR PROVIDED HERE IS FOR GENERAL INFORMATION PURPOSES ONLY AND IS NOT TO BE CONSTRUED AS REFLECTING THE KNOWLEDGE OR OPINIONS OF THE PUBLISHER, AND IS NOT TO BE CONSTRUED OR INTENDED AS PROVIDING MEDICAL OR LEGAL ADVICE.  THE DECISION WHETHER OR NOT TO VACCINATE IS AN IMPORTANT AND COMPLEX ISSUE AND SHOULD BE MADE BY YOU, AND YOU ALONE, IN CONSULTATION WITH YOUR HEALTH CARE PROVIDER.