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A chickenpox outbreak at Daybreak Elementary School in Battle Ground will allow some students to return home starting Monday.
There are five confirmed cases of chicken pox on campus, said Battle Ground Public Schools spokeswoman Rita Sanders on Friday.
In Clark County, the Ministry of Public Health requires that students and staff with no documented immunity from the virus stay home for three weeks starting Monday, according to a letter sent to parents Thursday night. People who receive a vaccine or provide proof of immunity may return before that date.
This should allow 38 students to be excluded from the classroom, said Sanders. There are 541 students at Daybreak Elementary School.
According to the most recent data from the Ministry of Health, more students are exempt from vaccines at North County School than in the county and the state as a whole. During the 2017-2018 school year, 13.2% of students were exempted from at least one vaccine. The majority, 11%, fall under the personal vaccine exemptions.
For chickenpox in particular, 11.4% of students were exempted from the vaccine.
In Clark County, 7.5% of students are exempt from the vaccine, 5.9% benefit from a personal exemption and 6% are exempt from the varicella vaccine. At the state level, the numbers are even smaller: 4.9% in total, 3.7 staff and 3.7% for chicken pox.
Families and staff can provide proof of vaccination by providing the district with one of the following:
- Proof of date of birth before 1980.
- Registration of at least one dose of varicella vaccine checked by a licensed health care provider.
- A letter from a licensed health care provider documenting the infection with the chickenpox virus and its complete recovery.
- A letter from a licensed health care provider confirming a blood test or serology showing immunity to chickenpox.
Chickenpox is caused by highly infectious chickenpox and shingles, according to Clark County Public Health. The disease is characterized by an itchy rash with pink spots and tiny blisters filled with fluid, the eponymous smallpox. The average infected person develops between 300 and 400 chickenpox on his body. An infected person may also have a fever and be generally tired.
The disease can be transmitted by secretions such as saliva, contact with smallpox or by the respiratory system.
Families who think their child has chickenpox are asked to inform the school and seek medical attention.
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