For most of us, “chickenpox” conjures images of red, itchy blisters, oatmeal baths and vaccinations.
For the staff at Two Rivers Correctional Institution, however, chickenpox means emergency procedures, lock-down and isolation.
Caused by the varicella-zoster virus, chickenpox is highly contagious. In a closed environment, such as TRCI, it could spread quickly. When two inmates from different housing units were confirmed to have chickenpox this month, the prison closed its doors to visitors and began an investigation, according to Elizabeth Craig, communications manager for the Oregon Department of Corrections. During the investigation, inmate transfers are also monitored closely.
“TRCI officials worked with the Oregon Public Health Division to ensure the institution is taking the necessary treatment and control measures,” Craig said. “The affected inmates were moved to the on-site infirmary and assigned to negative-pressure living quarters to further reduce the risk of the virus spreading.”
Isolation is one of the tools the DOC uses to control the spread of infectious diseases, including chickenpox, according to its policy on isolation control procedures. Chickenpox is one infection that requires use of both “transmission based precautions” and “standard precautions” for infection control, such as requiring all staff to wear gloves and putting a patient in a negative-pressure room where contaminated air is contained and not redistributed. Other infections in that category include meningitis, diphtheria and tuberculosis.
TRCI closed to visitors on July 12 and canceled visitor and weekend events. A total of three inmates were diagnosed with chickenpox, and no new cases have been reported at TRCI since Saturday, July 13.
The prison reopened to visitors on Friday, and canceled events were rescheduled for dates in August. Only two housing units – 2 and 14 – remain on modified operations.
Craig said it is unclear what brought the virus to TRCI, but chickenpox outbreaks are “not that common” in the Oregon DOC.
TRCI, a medium- and minimum-security site in Umatilla, is the first of the state’s 14 prisons to report an outbreak of chickenpox this year; however, two Oregon institutions confirmed inmate cases of varicella in 2012.
Officials at Columbia River Correctional Institution confirmed two inmates had chickenpox in February 2012, and the Oregon State Penitentiary reported two inmates with the disease in April. None of the inmates required medical attention their facilities.
