Reported chickenpox cases were in Hillsdale County

Branch-Hillsdale-St. Joseph Community Health Agency Health Officer Rebecca Burns told her board of directors last week that the five confirmed cases of chickenpox the agency recently documented were all in Hillsdale County.

The Coldwater-based agency reported the cases earlier this month but, at the time, did not disclose the county of origin. The cases were all centered on people originally described only as “youth who live in the three-county jurisdiction.”

Chickenpox, a highly contagious disease, causes an itchy, blister-like rash, fatigue, headache and fever.

Burns said in her report that most individuals who have received the vaccine or previously had chickenpox are considered protected.