Half of the chicken pox cases two Austin Medical Center urgent care doctors have seen are from children that have received the chicken pox vaccine, said Dr. Paul Jacobson, an urgent care department doctor.

There is a 5 percent chance a person who has been immunized will get chicken pox, he said. Jacobson and another doctor have seen six chicken pox cases and three of them had been immunized. The children ranged in age from 2 to 9 years.

"Just because your child has been immunized doesn't mean you can't get it," Jacobson said.

But the disease is generally milder in those who have been immunized, he said.

Jacobson would still highly recommend getting the vaccination and notes its now part of the immunization package for young children.

"We want to keep that going," Jacobson said.

Since the vaccination was approved for use in 1995, there has been an 80 percent drop in the number of children who contract chicken pox, said Margene Gunderson, director of community health services for Mower County Public Health.

"Since 1995, the incidence of chicken pox and hospitalization have fallen significantly," Gunderson said, adding that the vaccine reduces the complications from the disease, even if it doesn't protect people entirely from it.

Although chicken pox vaccinations are typically administered when a child is 12 to 15 months old, people of any age who have not had chicken pox can receive the vaccine, Gunderson said. Those over 13 years of age would need two doses, Gunderson said.

At Mower County Public Health, each shot costs $10 and are available at its immunization clinic from 3:15 to 4:45 p.m. Fridays.

Winter and early spring is typically the most common time for people to catch chicken pox.

Public Health and Austin Medical Center are urging parents to call their family physician if they suspect their child has chicken pox instead of bringing them directly to urgent care or the emergency room.

"Because chicken pox is a communicable disease, there might be people at risk," said Margene Gunderson, director of community health services for Mower County Public Health.

Jacobson said if the child or individual is suffering from complications, they should be brought in. Otherwise a phone call may be sufficient and the child will not expose the disease to other patients.

Those with chicken pox can be contagious for up to 14 days, Jacobson said. A person who had contracted it can be contagious about a week before lesions appear. Once the red lesions appear, the person is contagious until they scab over, which usually takes three to five days, Jacobson said.

Cari Quam can be reached at 434-2235 or by e-mail at :mailto:cari.quam@austindailyherald.com