School clinics to administer the new chickenpox vaccine will be held March 8 and 10 at elementary and consolidated schools in St. Teresa's and the Montague family of schools.
Public health nurses will deliver the vaccine Wednesday, March 8 at Georgetown Elementary and St. Teresa's, Belfast and Montague Consolidated. Clinics will be Friday, March 10 at Cardigan, Southern Kings and Vernon River Consolidated.
The vaccine will be administered to children in grades one to six who have not had the chickenpox. There is no charge to receive the vaccine, but consent forms are required.
These are one-time clinics for this vaccine, and they will not be offered in the schools again.
Chief Health Officer, Dr. Lamont Sweet advised that chickenpox is usually a mild, highly contagious disease which almost every child will catch. However, chickenpox results in complications in one in 20 people who become ill with the disease and can result in birth defects if a mother catches the illness during pregnancy.
"Chickenpox not only causes illness but also results in a loss of time from work for a parent," he said.
The Department of Health and Social Services encourages parents to have their children immunized against chickenpox before they become adults.