Students may have been exposed to chickenpox on campus from Oct. 1 to Oct. 28, according to a health advisory from Student Health and Counseling Services (SHCS).
According to the advisory, areas where students may have been exposed include:
- Riverside Hall on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 1:30 p.m. to 3 p.m.,
- Sequoia Hall on Thursdays from 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.,
- Alpine Hall on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.,
- Yosemite Hall on Mondays and Wednesdays from 11 a.m. to noon,
- The Library on Mondays and Wednesdays from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. and
- The WELL on Fridays from 10 a.m. to noon.
Lisa Johnson, the associate director of clinical operations for SHCS, said that the potential exposure comes from a single student.
“It’s very low risk,” Johnson said. “Generally, risk is based on the hours of exposure and the areas where the exposure was contained: large room or small room, the number of times the room was exposed. You would have to be fairly close or come into contact with the chicken pock itself.”
The advisory suggests that those who may have been exposed to contact their doctor.
Johnson said that many students are immune to the chickenpox — either because they have had the chickenpox in the past or are inoculated against it.
SHCS provides a test to determine if one is immune to the chickenpox at their offices in the WELL for $4. Students can also obtain the chickenpox vaccine there for $108.
The State Hornet will update this story as more information becomes available.
