Chickenpox may be coming to a child near you.
Six Ark City Middle School students have been diagnosed with the illness as of Tuesday, according to school district and city-county health officials. While the outbreak has been confined to the middle school for now, officials warn it’s possible more cases could pop up in the next 10 to 21 days, the incubation period for chickenpox.
Other students and siblings of infected children are the most susceptible.
Children with chickenpox are most contagious before they develop symptoms that may include rash, fever, mild cough, runny nose, or headache. Chickenpox is spread by direct contact with the rash or through the air from an infected person’s coughing or sneezing.
School nurses throughout the district are staying informed and monitoring the situation on a daily basis. They are doing everything possible to protect the health of students and limit the spread of chickenpox.
Informational letters are being sent home with students this week. If parents suspect that they or their children have chicken pox, they may consult their family physician or family health care provider; though in otherwise healthy children, chicken pox generally requires no medical treatment.
