Fla. boy’s death may be linked to chickenpox

Dec 13, 2008 1 min read

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) – Officials say a 12-year-old Daytona Beach boy found dead in his bed likely died of chickenpox.

A spokesman for Volusia County says the medical examiner is awaiting definitive confirmation chickenpox is to blame for Cody Shrout’s death, but that evidence indicates that is the cause. He was found Friday.

Chickenpox deaths are extremely rare, particularly since a vaccine was introduced. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recorded just eight fatal cases between January 2003 and June 2004, the last year data was posted.

Earlier this week, the Volusia County Health Department announced it was taking steps to contain an outbreak of chickenpox at a local high school, where 40 cases have been reported since September, 30 of them this month.