Children with chickenpox in Flanders will no longer need to stay home from school unless they feel sick, according to a new policy from the Flemish Scientific Society for Youth Health (VWVJ).
The school will still have to inform other parents of an infection.
Chickenpox is a common viral infection in children which causes an itchy, blister-like rash on the skin. It is highly contagious to those who haven't had the disease or been vaccinated against it.
Until now, children with chickenpox had to stay home until all spots, usually most concentrated on the chest and back, had dried completely. Schools also had to alert the Centre for Pupil Guidance (CLB) about the infection.
However, this policy could not sufficiently prevent infections spreading among children in the same class, because children are already infectious before becoming symptomatic. Moreover, in Belgium, there is no systematic vaccination. Avoiding circulation completely is therefore unrealistic, and children can only become immune by contracting the infection.
The current policy has therefore been changed. The VWVJ has decided that, if pupils with chickenpox at Dutch-speaking schools do not feel sick, they do not have to stay home. Adapted guidelines have been delivered to CLBs and schools, Education Minister Ben Weyts' cabinet confirmed to The Brussels Times.
Parents must still report the infection to the school, which will then notify other parents. The CLB, however, no longer has to be notified about cases of chickenpox.
For nurseries, the regulation remains unchanged, because complications mainly occur in children under two years old.
