Parents and teachers both expect illnesses this time of the year. We do our best by getting all of the suggested vaccines and shots. Many common diseases are now under control due to the research and creation of vaccinations.
We also sanitize our classrooms and homes with disinfectant cleaners. We teach children how to wash hands and properly sneeze and cough.
A very common disease that almost every child had when I was in school was chicken pox. It would spread throughout an entire family and classroom in no time at all. Quickly each and every child would be covered with red, itchy, polka dots.
After many children and some adults suffered from the sickness, a vaccine was created. At the age of about two, children could receive the shot. Chicken pox soon died out.
Before entering kindergarten, parents needed a shot record showing where their child had received the chicken pox vaccine or had already had the disease. Supposedly having the illness or the shot prevents one from getting the chicken pox. However, my school now knows that this is not true.
We have had an outbreak of chicken pox this week.
Many parents sent their children on to school with a few small spots. They never dreamed that the child had chicken pox. In fact, our school faculty and staff were even hesitant to believe that the children had chicken pox.
According to our board of education policy, children diagnosed with chicken pox cannot come back to school for six days. If the thinks that the child may have chicken pox, a doctor’s note is needed to either confirm or disprove that the child has the illness.
Today, I have seven children out of my class. Three are due to possible chicken pox illnesses. The other four, I am uncertain about why they were not here today.