The department of Health and Social Services is warning about an ongoing chicken pox outbreak in Tuktoyaktuk.
Multiple people in different households have recently contracted the disease, although the department did not say exactly how many.
A Jan. 22 community hockey game and a Feb. 2 Canadian North flight from Yellowknife to Inuvik, numbered 5T 244, are believed to have been exposure sites.
Those who contract the disease are contagious 1-2 days before symptoms start, and then for up to ten days after, until all lesions on the body scab over. Symptoms of chicken pox include fever, headache, and lesions on the torso and face, then the arms and legs.
Several groups are at risk from serious complications from a chicken pox infection, including the immunocompromised, pregnant women who aren’t immunized against the disease, and the elderly. Anyone in these vulnerable groups or who has been exposed to chicken pox is asked to immediately contact the Tuktoyaktuk Health Centre at 1-867-977-2321.
Anyone who has been exposed in the community is asked to monitor symptoms for 21 days and contact the local health centre after noticing symptoms. Anyone living in another community who contracts the disease is also asked to notify their local public health unit upon developing symptoms.
