Shingles

I always enjoy the sentence, "Well, these are the facts about such-and-such and if it's covered, there should be no exclusion. I am letting you know and will be sending an e-mail confirming this information so I'm not liable if so-and-so pushes back legally about being forced to use time off." Suddenly all my "opinion sheets" become "fact sheets"

No need to go home if covered!

Also, not for nothing, but REALLY, teacher, WHY did you have to come in and tell everyone what you have?? It is not like they can SEE it!

People are stupid!

No need to go home if covered!

Also, not for nothing, but REALLY, teacher, WHY did you have to come in and tell everyone what you have?? It is not like they can SEE it!

People are stupid!

True, but we are so small, only 8 teachers 4 administrators and 3 ancillary staff, not much is secret around here.

I would be concerned. I have students that are immunocompromised, religious exemptions and pregnant teachers. We have a family member in his 30s that did contact chicken pox from his mother who had shingles.

I was pregnant working in a ER and my titers were very low. I never took care of someone with shingles.

Finally hospital policy made me get two varicella vaccines in 2010. We had a nurse that I worked with that was immunocompromised and would break out frequently and regardless if it was covered or not- could not come back and provide patient care until it was healing.

I think you'd be hard pressed to find a teacher who hasn't had chicken pox, but I can see some of the anti-vaxer's kids being exposed.

You forget there are a lot of older teachers and nurses for that matter still in the work force :) I have had a family have the vaccine only to both contract chicken pox. Doctor said they were fine and mother sent them to school. I saw th and sent them right back- he said I was right.

They both had 2 vaccines.. so I always err on the side of caution

FWIW there actually is some evidence of nosocomial airborne/droplet spread of localized zoster to varicella-zoster, even in incompetent populations, which is why the CDC still maintains recommendation for isolation precautions in hospitals for localized herpes zoster.

Very rare but possible.

When I worked in a hospital, I worked on an oncology floor. I had shingles on my chest, back and down my arm. My doctor said I absolutely could not return to work since I worked where I worked, and he mentioned that it is sometimes airborne/droplet. He wrote me a note to be off I think for 7 days (this was years ago). Well, the hospital sure wanted to fight me about it and wanted me to sign a release so they could contact my MD, but I refused. I don't understand why they put those patients in isolation, but want nurses touching them when they have no WBC and ANC's of 0.

I think you'd be hard pressed to find a teacher who hasn't had chicken pox, but I can see some of the anti-vaxer's kids being exposed.

Happy to see you back, sweetness. Hugs to you!

I had a teacher come to me asking what a rash was, I told her I suspected it was shingles and she should probably get it checked out. Doc put her off work for NINE days. She was a special education teacher and it seems she is always trying to get a student sent home for something so I'm sure she sweet talked the doc into putting her off.