Some Children Hospitalized as Chickenpox Surges

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LANSING, MI - Recent outbreaks of chickenpox in several Michigan counties, including Wayne in southeast Michigan, have been severe enough that several children have required hospitalization, public health officials said Tuesday.

Outbreaks have been reported in Wayne, Grand Traverse, Calhoun and Muskegon counties, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services said in a statement.

The spread of chickenpox can be controlled with vaccination, said Dr. Eden Wells, chief medical executive with the health department.

“Since the introduction of the chickenpox vaccine 20 years ago, the immunization has greatly reduced the incidence of illnesses, hospitalizations, and deaths related to the disease,” Wells said, noting that Michigan has seen a 97 percent decline in chickenpox over the past two decades.

“The best thing you can do to protect your loved ones and community against chickenpox is to make sure your family is immunized,” Wells said.

Immunization against chickenpox and several other vaccine-preventable diseases is required for school entry in Michigan. However, parents have the option to waive the requirement through their local health department.

Also known as Varicella, chickenpox is caused by a virus in the herpes family and is characterized by an itchy, blistery rash. The rash may be preceded or accompanied by fever, tiredness, headache, and loss of appetite.

Chickenpox is highly contagious, with the virus spreading easily through coughing, sneezing and other contact with respiratory secretions. Like other herpes-family viruses, this virus has the capability to remain in the body indefinitely as a latent infection and reactivate later in life.

When the chickenpox virus reactivates it causes a painful condition called shingles, also known as zoster.

Chickenpox can be variable, ranging from mild with few “pox” lesions to very severe illness requiring hospitalization. Complications such as pneumonia, bacterial infections, and meningitis are more likely in adolescent and adult age groups.

Before the licensure and routine use of the vaccine, there were an estimated 4 million cases annually, with about 11,000 hospitalizations and an average of about 100 chickenpox-related deaths each year in the United States, the health department said.

Studies have shown the recommended two-dose series given in childhood is somewhere between 89 percent and 98 percent effective in preventing any mild-to-moderate chickenpox disease and 100 percent effective in preventing severe chickenpox.