RPS 205 Confirms Case of Chickenpox At Rolling Green Elementary

Remember when you were a kid and one of your friends or family members came down with the chickenpox and your parents automatically sent you over to play with them?

Those days may be gone thanks to a vaccine that helps prevent the illness, but that doesn't mean that kids still don't get those awful itchy-scratchies.

According to WREX, the Rockford Public School District has announced that one of their students has a confirmed case of the chickenpox. WREX reports;

A letter sent home to parents this week says students at the school may have have been exposed to the person with chickenpox, but that the person is no longer in school and is receiving treatment.

Yes, chickenpox is a treatable illness ,and most people over the age of 20 have probably had it, but I believe parents need to know that the highly-contagious sickness has made a reappearance in Rockford.

According to mayoclinic.org, chickenpox symptoms first present as a loss of appetite, fever, headache and fatigue, and all of them are likely before the nasty red bumps appear. Mayo also says;

Chickenpox infection appears 10 to 21 days after exposure to the virus and usually lasts about five to 10 days... Once infected, you can spread the virus for up to 48 hours before the rash appears, and you remain contagious until all spots crust over

I don't want to get in the "to vaccinate, or not to vaccinate" conversation, but I will say this; a lot of parents choose to vaccinate their children against this illness, so we all need to take extra precautions to stop it from spreading. If your kid comes down with the chickenpox, PLEASE keep them home until they have been symptom-free and "crusted over"  for at least 24 hours. Thank you.

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