Chicken Pox - HELP !!

[blandino]

Today a DCB developed a few bumps on his forehead only, actually they looked like scratches. Anyway, mom took him to the doctor and they think he has chicken pox. He has been vaccinated, so it is a mild case. However my main concern is that we have two 8 month olds and a 4 month old (who haven't been vaccinated due to their age). And we have two interviews with pregnant moms this weekend.

I know that children are actually most contagious BEFORE the spots appear, so the damage has already been done. But mom asked of it was okay for him to come back on Thursday (as long as no new spots have appeared in 24 hours), and because he is vaccinated - he will have a very mild case. But I am just not sure what to do. If he is even a little contaigous at that point, I don't want him around the unvaccinated little ones (even of they have already been exposed), I want to do everything in my power to keep their chances as low as possible.

With that being said, I don't want to make him stay home unnecessarily, of he isn't contaigous anymore.

[MyAngels]

Chicken pox is contagious until all lesions have crusted over. Sometimes you can have new blisters forming even as older ones are crusting over, so you need to be very sure there are no new ones showing up before you re-admit the child.

ETA: Chicken pox is one of the things that we have to notify our health department about if it shows up in daycare here as well.

[daycarediva]

Chicken pox is contagious until all lesions have crusted over. Sometimes you can have new blisters forming even as older ones are crusting over, so you need to be very sure there are no new ones showing up before you re-admit the child.

ETA: Chicken pox is one of the things that we have to notify our health department about if it shows up in daycare here as well.

This exactly. I would say he has to stay home until ALL lesions are crusted over. IMHO, the risk of unvaccinated and pregnant mothers getting it far outweighs the inconvenience of having a (mildly ill) child stay home.

I have ALL vaccinated kids, no pregnant Moms so I would probably have accepted him.

[littlemissmuffet]

In your situation I would require the child to be home as a precautionary measure. If I wasn't currently pregnant, I would not let a child into the daycare until all lesions were crusted over either.

In any other case, I'd allow the child back in.