Transmission of chickenpox in a school setting prior to the observed exanthem
P. A. Brunell
Department of Health, Education and Welfare, National Communicable Disease Center, Atlanta, Ga.
An epidemic of chickenpox in a class is described. Four children were able
to transmit infection prior to the time their rash was observed by their
parents. A fifth child was known to have attended school while he had
localized varicelliform lesions that were present for 2 days prior to the
appearance of the generalized exanthem. It cannot be ascertained whether
some of the other children may have had similar lesions that were not
observed at the time they attended school. The first classroom case was
observed prospectively so that the time of rash was fairly well
established. Although he apparently transmitted infection prior to the
onset of rash, virus could not be isolated from the respiratory secretion
of this child on the day he presumably infected his classmate. Virus was
not found in his respiratory secretions or those obtained from his two
siblings before or after the onset of rash, although it was recovered from
vesicular fluid.
