LANSING, MI (AP)-- The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services says preliminary numbers show chickenpox cases were up this year through April compared with last year.
In a news release Wednesday, the department said preliminary figures indicate there have been 239 chickenpox cases through April, up roughly 57 percent from the same point in 2015.
The department says parents should make sure that kids are current on chickenpox vaccination. Department chief medical executive Dr. Eden Wells said in the release that "illness from chickenpox can be severe and sometimes require hospitalization resulting in serious complications."
Wells said the vaccine for chickenpox "is safe and very effective."
