Chicken Pox Protocol

[Keepstanding, ASN, RN]

Could any of you School Nurses share what your protocol is for students with SUSPECTED chicken pox ? Do you exclude the student with the questionable pox/papule/rash and do you ask the parent to get them checked because they MAY be contagious?? Thanks ?

[OldDude]

Chicken Pox is a mandated reportable disease to the state health department in Texas. We exclude until the lesions are dry. I do request parents to pick up their kids from school and seek a MD diagnosis for what appears to be chicken pox lesions if the history has been along the expected progression. So far no one has refused to do so; especially when I bring up the State reporting mandate. If a parent refused to come pick up their child I certainly would go on to Plan B but I'm not sure what Plan B is...I'd come up with something.

[halohg, RN]

Our protocol for this would fall under ‘skin rash’ by which if a student presents with a rash they are to be excluded until medically cleared.

[ruby_jane, BSN, RN]

You could also do your local hospital or the kid's pediatrician a favor by calling before sending the parent off. Rash-like illness, possibly viral, can cause a lot of chaos if people aren't prepared for it.

[Flare, ASN, BSN]

We're also a mandated reportable disease here. Last year i had a child that I would have staked my name on having varicella. I sent him out and straight to the doctor. Doctor sent an exuberantly worded return to school note "NOT VARICELLA - OK TO RETURN!" I said - well, this is why i don't diagnose, but if we end up with an outbreak, i have this to cover my boo-tay.

It would have been nice, however, if the doc did give an indication of what the DID think it was.

[OldDude]

18 minutes ago, Flare said:

We're also a mandated reportable disease here. Last year i had a child that I would have staked my name on having varicella. I sent him out and straight to the doctor. Doctor sent an exuberantly worded return to school note "NOT VARICELLA - OK TO RETURN!" I said - well, this is why i don't diagnose, but if we end up with an outbreak, i have this to cover my boo-tay.

It would have been nice, however, if the doc did give an indication of what the DID think it was.

"Flea bites."

[Flare, ASN, BSN]

they weren't as many there the beginning of the day, started on his stomach and he had low grade temp. Made me sus-pish-us

[UrbanHealthRN, BSN, RN]

Anything that seems concerning for communicable disease needs to stay home until checked by a doctor. I've learned to word myself very carefully over the years, and usually something like "I'm not a doctor and I can't diagnose, but this looks like chicken pox..." is enough to get a family to the doctor.

[KeeperOfTheIceRN, ADN]

22 hours ago, OldDude said:

"Flea bites."

I was not prepared for the amount of times this "reason" would be used to explain away so many rashes. That, and carpet beetle bites. Nevermind the fact that carpet beetles don't bite humans but whatevs.