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Chickenpox case confirmed in student at West Ottawa elementary school

Posted at 2:41 PM, Oct 18, 2018
and last updated 2018-10-18 14:41:11-04

HOLLAND, Mich. — Health officials say a student at a West Ottawa elementary school has come down with the chickenpox and any student who has not been vaccinated or had the chickenpox before will be excluded from school until November.

The Ottawa County Health Department said Thursday that a case of the chickenpox was confirmed in an unvaccinated student at Waukazoo Elementary School on Wednesday.

In a letter sent home to parents of students at Waukazoo, officials say that if children at the school haven’t been vaccinated, or if they cannot provide proof of a previous diagnosis, that they will be excluded from school until Nov. 1.

They can return to school on Friday, Nov. 2, “provided they have not developed chickenpox during this time period,” the letter reads.

Chickenpox is a highly contagious illness that usually starts with a slight fever followed by a blister-like, itchy rash, the health department says.  It is not usually a serious illness, but can become a much more severe in some children and high-risk people.

Learn more about chickenpox at the CDC’s website.