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JAMA. 2006;296:925-927.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings.

MMWR. 2006;55:749-752

1 figure, 1 table omitted

On November 19, 2004, a school nurse notified the Nebraska Health and Human Services System (NHHSS) of a varicella outbreak in an elementary school (grades kindergarten through 7). In collaboration with local health department officials and CDC, NHHSS initiated a retrospective cohort study to determine the magnitude of the outbreak, assess vaccine coverage and effectiveness, and compare disease severity among vaccinated and unvaccinated students. This report summarizes the investigation and considers the suitability of school settings for case-based surveillance. The findings highlighted the importance of improving varicella vaccination coverage and implementing varicella vaccination school-entry requirements.

Questionnaires were sent to parents of all students at the elementary school to determine history of varicella disease, varicella vaccination status, and underlying medical conditions. School immunization records were reviewed to confirm vaccination status for all students. In addition to receiving the questionnaires, parents of ill students were . . . [Full Text of this Article]

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