Alberta Health Services is reporting a small outbreak of chicken pox at a local school.
There have been nine confirmed cases of the pesky virus at Leo Nickerson over the last few weeks, which is enough to raise some concerns at the school. The nine cases involved one adult and eight children.
AHS spokesperson Kerry Williamson said the outbreak is not a major one, but AHS does still track them to keep an eye on the issue.
“We have had six outbreaks in the Edmonton zone since early September,” he said. “We do see these things from time to time.”
He said they do report on the disease when it pops up in an isolated place like this, because it can be very contagious.
Williamson said the best way to cut down on similar outbreaks is to have children vaccinated, which most people have been.
“If you have been vaccinated then you should be OK.”
He said AHS does offer the vaccinations and encourages people to take them.
“Most people have been. We would obviously prefer that everyone had been vaccinated, but that is a personal choice.”
He said for parents whose children haven’t been vaccinated, they should keep a close eye on their children for any symptoms.
“Parents of kids who haven’t been vaccinated should take a careful look to see if any symptoms develop.”
Those symptoms include fatigue, fever, coughing, sneezing and eventually the itchy rash.
Williamson said if parents believe their children are coming down with the chicken pox then they should be kept at home.
Principal Kevin Jones said they are following the protocols health services have suggested and they sent a letter home to parents.
“We informed the families so that they are aware.”
He said the students were spread out across a variety of grade levels and weren’t concentrated in any one class.
