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Local school warns of chickenpox case after vaccinated student contracts chickenpox

Beaches Chapel Middle School is warning parents about a student who was recently diagnosed with chickenpox, and may have been contagious for several days.

The middle school said the student had been vaccinated but became infected anyway.

Principal Vivian Watson said the student is 11 to13 years old and had what she called a mild case.

“I knew it was a mild outbreak, and I do have a student in middle school,” said parent Missy Christenson.

Watson sent an email home to parents, stating in part, “…the student that contracted chicken pox had been vaccinated. I know that some of our students are not vaccinated due to religious exemptions, so please be on the lookout for this illness.”

“Because the incubation period is two weeks, that child has been exposing to other students for about that long, so we thought it was important to get the word out to parents,” Watson said.

A previous Action News Jax investigation reported that fewer local students are getting vaccinations.

Dr. Mobeen Rathore wants that to change.

“Vaccines are God's gift to children,” Rathore said.

Rathore said a small percentage of people can still get chickenpox even with the vaccination, especially if they only receive one dose instead of two.