Seven students at a Mira Mesa middle school and three children at a Santee child care center have been diagnosed with chicken pox, the San Diego County Health and Human Services Agency announced Friday.
None of the infected students at Challenger Middle School or the KinderCare Learning Center required hospitalization, according to the HHSA.
Five of the middle school students had one dose of vaccine; two had no vaccine. Two of the childcare children had one dose of vaccine, one had no vaccine.
"We urge parents to talk to their children's healthcare provider about ensuring that children have had age-appropriate vaccinations against diseases like chicken pox," said Dr. Wilma Wooten, the county's public health officer. "When children are not protected, it's easy for disease to spread when they get together at school, childcare centers and other venues."
School and child care center officials have informed staff and parents of the infected students who may have been exposed, and recommended that children have the recommended two doses of vaccinate against the disease.
Chicken pox is a highly contagious virus, easily spread by coughing, sneezing or contact with blisters. Symptoms include a skin rash of blister-like lesions, covering the body but are usually more concentrated on the face, scalp and trunk.
For more information on chicken pox and immunizations in general, please call the HHSA Immunization Branch at 619-692-8661 or visit the website at sdiz.org.
