OTTAWA COUNTY (WHTC-AM/FM) — A chicken pox outbreak in the Jenison Public School District has Ottawa County health and school officials warning parents — and urging them to get their children vaccinated.
The Ottawa County Department of Public Health learned of more than one case of the virus at Kids First Early Childhood Center earlier this week.
It’s unclear exactly where the outbreak of the highly contagious illness started. last week, Ottawa County had reported 13 chicken pox cases to the state; Allegan had recorded one. So far this year, state health officials have documented 311 cases of chicken pox, and increasing cases of mumps and measles as well.
Complications from chicken pox can include skin infections, pneumonia, brain inflammation, and death, according to the National Institutes of Health — and the virus can reactivate in older people, giving them shingles, a painful skin condition. In August, the Journal of Pediatrics reported that an 11-month-old boy suffered a stroke after contracting chicken pox from his older siblings, who had not been vaccinated.
Chicken pox is especially dangerous for infants, pregnant women and people with immune deficiencies, such as those recovering from cancer, including chldren.
