Child care providers asked to report chickenpox and shingles cases
Reporting fact sheet for child care providers.
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Child care providers asked to report chickenpox and shingles cases (PDF: 30KB/1 page)
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What are child care providers being asked to report to the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH)?
Do health care providers also report these diseases?
Why are all child care providers being asked to report chickenpox and shingles?
How do child care providers report cases of chickenpox or shingles to MDH?
How do I find more information on chickenpox and shingles?
What are child care providers being asked to report to the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH)?
Child care providers are being asked to report two diseases – chickenpox (varicella) and shingles (zoster) in children or staff.
Do health care providers also report these diseases?
Health care providers also report cases of chickenpox and shingles, but only when the cases are unusual or severe.
Why are all child care providers being asked to report chickenpox and shingles?
Prior to 2010, MDH asked for chickenpox and shingles reports from a subset of child care providers that were randomly selected each year. Starting in 2010 and going forward, all child care providers are asked to report all cases. This change came about because of the decrease in the number of cases due to the success of vaccination. It is good that the vaccine is working, but now it is harder for us to monitor and describe chickenpox and shingles disease in Minnesota.
How do child care providers report cases of chickenpox or shingles to MDH?
When you find that a child or staff member is sick with chickenpox or shingles, you need to fill out and send a simple form, or call us with your report.
- To report a case by phone, call MDH at 651-201-5414 or toll-free at 1-877-676-5414.
- You can find the form to mail or fax on our website at: www.health.state.mn.us/divs/idepc/disases/varicella/index.html then click on “Varicella Information for Child Care Providers”
- To obtain a paper copy of the report form, call MDH at 651-201-5414 or toll-free at 1-877-676-5414.
How do I find more information on chickenpox and shingles?
For more information, call MDH at 651-201-5414 or toll-free at 1-877-676-5414 or visit our website at www.health.state.mn.us/immunize then click on the “Diseases Prevented by Vaccines” link to find a list of diseases.
Thank you for your help in keeping Minnesotans healthy!