Chickenpox outbreak in North Carolina is the worst in two decades | Health Care News

An epidemic of chickenpox in a private school in North Carolina is the worst of the state for more than two decades.

Friday, 36 children from Asheville Waldorf School in Asheville, North Carolina, had contracted the disease, according to at the Asheville Citizen Times. The school, which serves children from kindergarten to Grade 6, has one of the highest immunization exemption rates in the state.

The epidemic is the worst in the state since the chickenpox vaccine became available in 1995, reports the Citizen Times.

Chickenpox is a "very contagious disease" that can cause fever and hundreds of itchy pimples. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, it can be serious for babies, adults and people whose immune system is weakened. North Carolina requires that children entering school be vaccinated against varicella in two doses, commonly known as varicella vaccine, but allow exemptions for medical or religious reasons.

According to the Citizen Times, of the 152 students in Asheville Waldorf, 110 have not yet received the chickenpox vaccine. During the 2017-2018 school year, 19 of the 28 kindergarten children, who previously called the Azalea Mountain School, enjoyed religious exemptions to at least a vaccine required, according to The data published by the state's Department of Human Health Services and got by the local public radio station of the region.

An increasing number of parents in the country are choosing not to administer to their young children any or all of the recommended vaccines, fueled at least in part by scientifically refuted claims, that vaccines are at the origin of the disease. other health problems and expose children to a risk of autism. according to for the Washington Post, the percentage of children under the age of two who receive no vaccine has quadrupled since 2001, although this number is relatively low.

In Asheville, public health officials urge parents to vaccinate their children.

"Two doses of chickenpox vaccine can offer significant protection against chickenpox and shingles in adulthood," said Dr. Jennifer Mullendore, county medical director, in a statement. declaration. "When we see a high number of unvaccinated children and adults, we know that a disease like chicken pox can spread easily throughout the community – in our playgrounds, our grocery stores and our sports teams. "

Prior to the availability of the two-dose varicella vaccine in 1995, an average of 4 million people contracted chickenpox each year. Of these, up to 13,000 were hospitalized and 100 to 150 died each year, the CDC reports.

Vaccination against chickenpox rates According to the CDC, the vaccine currently prevents more than 3.5 million cases of chickenpox and 100 deaths a year.