Round Rock School Officials Advise Parents Of Chickenpox Case At High School

ROUND ROCK, TX — School district officials have notified parents to have their children checked for chickenpox after a case of the highly contagious disease was reported at Cedar Ridge High School.

Most people who develop varicella, otherwise known as chickenpox, are able to return within a week once they recover. But school officials are asking families to make sure household members with weakened immune systems or who are pregnant take extra precaution as they are at greater risk for complications.

The disease is spread a number of way, from person-to-person contact; direct skin contact; or through the air from a sneeze or cough emitted from an infected person. Among the symptoms appearing from 14 to 21 days after exposure, are fever, itching, rash and sluggishness.

Once infected, students with chickenpox may not attend school for 7 days after onset of the rash, according the school officials. Cedar Ridge High School officials said they are working with the Williamson County and Cities Health District (WCCHD) to identify additional cases and prevent chickenpox from spreading at the campus.

According to health officials, there were 35 reported cases of chickenpox in the county during this year's first quarter.

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