SAN DIEGO (NEWS 8) – San Diego State canceled Monday night's football practice to try to quell an outbreak of chickenpox among players.
Five football players were diagnosed with chickenpox.
With the beginning of the football season just weeks away, there is now concern it could spread to other team members.
The school said that would give workers time to clean and disinfect the weight room and locker room.
A linebacker began feeling sick Friday, then on Saturday, an offensive lineman and another linebacker became ill too – all three were diagnosed with chickenpox.
On Monday, SDSU officials told News 8, two more football players had been diagnosed with chickenpox - bringing the total to five.
“This is a virus that literally flies through the air - so I can give it to you without coming any closer than three- four feet - just by me breathing out the virus and you breathing it in,” said Dr. Mark Sawyer.
Dr. Mark Sawyer didn't treat the players, but as an infectious diseases doctor, he's very familiar with the virus and wouldn't be surprised if more San Diego State football players have it.
“Once an outbreak gets going - it tends to occur in waves. The incubation period is about two weeks for chickenpox. So if I expose you today – two weeks from now is when you get sick, and then you expose someone else and two weeks after that - they get sick. Typically an outbreak goes several months before it winds down,” he said.
To make matters worse, the players were all on busses together Friday – certainly close enough quarters to spread the virus.
Dr. Sawyer said just because you were vaccinated as a baby, does not mean you are safe. Most people don’t realize they are supposed to get a booster.
According to Dr. Sawyer, the players need to be isolated until they are better.
SDSU remains on summer break, so the general student population is not on campus, and they should not be at risk once fall classes begin.
The UC system requires students to get vaccinated for the chickenpox, but the Cal Sate system does not.
At campuses like SDSU, the vaccine is only recommended but not required.
Practice is scheduled to resume Tuesday afternoon.
SDSU spokeswoman Gina Jacobs said there are five confirmed cases and the school is in touch with the County Public Health Services.