Glade Pool Reopens After Report of Chicken Pox

The Glade Pool in Reston is back open, after an unconfirmed report of two children with chicken pox in the wading pool.

Reston Association Aquatics Manager Laura Kowalski said Glade Pool was closed and treated for possible contamination on Thursday afternoon after a guest told her pediatrician that she saw two children who appeared to have chicken pox in the wading pool. There were other children in the wading pool as well, and they had moved to the larger pool.

Reston Association said because Chicken Pox is contagious, the incident was reported to the Fairfax County Health Department’s Office of Communicable Diseases. The pool, water, deck, chairs, railing and restrooms were treated.

“The county health nurse told me that Chicken Pox is not spread in water, but from the infected person coughing near others or touching an open sore on the infected person,” Kowalski said.

The Fairfax County Health Department standards say that anyone with an obvious skin disease, nasal or ear discharge, inflamed eye or communicable disease should be excluded from such facilities as community pools.

Kowalski stayed in touch with the county health department for guidance and was told that the pool’s level of disinfectant chemicals are sufficient.

The two children were never identified.