By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews
Officials with Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida are reporting two chickenpox cases in students, the first time this has been seen in four years.
According to a report in the student newspaper, The Sandspur, the first case was confirmed last Monday on the second floor of Elizabeth Genius Hall. According to Meghan Harte Weyant, dean of students, one other student has been infected since the first diagnosis.
“When the first case was confirmed, the College immediately enacted its contagious disease protocol,” said Weyant. “In brief, the protocol includes individual student care, campus notifications, contacting the Department of Health, and enacting critical interventions to support prevention.”
The chickenpox, or varicella-Zoster vaccine is not required for Rollins students.
All students in contact with the infected students have been notified, evaluated, and are being provided with any necessary support, said Cristelle Garnier, director of health promotions.
The best way to prevent getting chickenpox is to get the vaccine, which became available in the U.S. in 1995.
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