CRANSTON, R.I. — Five inmates at the maximum security facility of the Adult Correctional Institutions have been diagnosed with chickenpox or shingles.

A statement provided by J.R. Ventura, the chief of information and public relations at the Department of Corrections, said the medical director diagnosed four men with chickenpox and one with shingles.

“All five individuals are being treated and are in medical isolation to prevent further spread," the statement read.

The Department of Corrections and the Department of Health are working together to check the chickenpox-vaccination and the chickenpox-immune status of inmates and staff. If the status is unclear, people will receive chickenpox vaccinations, according to the statement.

"Fortunately, a large majority of inmates and staff are believed to already be immune, either through prior vaccination or through previous exposure to chickenpox,” according to the statement.

Ventura clarified that all inmates "still retain all of their privileges and enjoy the same status as before," but are being kept apart from others.

The varicella-zoster virus causes both shingles and chickenpox, according to the Mayo Clinic. People who have had chickenpox might still have shingles; the virus can lie dormant for many years.

Visitors are allowed, except for pregnant women, children 12 months and younger, or those with a compromised immune system, Ventura wrote in an email.

There are no transfers in or out of maximum security at this time, he wrote.

—ckozma@providencejournal.com

(401) 277-7067

On Twitter: @CarolKozma