ON THE GND ON A 5 HR DELAY ONBOARD B727-200; CABIN CREW BECAME EXPOSED TO CHICKEN POX FROM A PAX ONBOARD.

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ALL PAX AND CREW MEMBERS ON FLT IN AUG/XX/98; FROM SJU TO PHL WERE EXPOSED TO CHICKEN POX FROM AN INFANT TODDLER PAX. THE MOTHER TOLD ME AFTER I QUESTIONED HER THAT THE SPOTS ALL OVER THE INFANT'S FACE; LEGS; ARMS WERE MOSQUITO BITES. WE WERE ON THE ACFT WITH THE PAX FOR 5 HRS DUE TO A MECHANICAL DELAY OUT OF SJU. I WAS IN DIRECT CONTACT WITH THE INFANT THROUGHOUT THE FLT. THE INFANT WAS A LAP CHILD; THE MOTHER'S SEAT WAS XXE. A COMPANY SUPVR MET OUR FLT WHEN WE RETURNED TO OUR HOME BASE THE NEXT DAY AND ADVISED US TO CALL OUR MEDICAL DEPT IN CASE WE NEEDED TO FILE FOR AN INJURY ON DUTY BECAUSE OF POSSIBLE EXPOSURE. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR STATES THAT SHE FIRST NOTICED THE CHILD ON BOARDING AS THE CHILD WAS AN IN LAP SEATED IN THE AREA THE RPTR WAS WORKING. THE SIT WAS COMPOUNDED BY THE FACT THAT THE CABIN CREW WAS ONBOARD ON THE GND WITH PAX FOR 5 HRS DUE TO A MECHANICAL PROB IN ADDITION TO THE FLT TIME. RPTR COULD NOT REMEMBER THE NATURE OF THE MECHANICAL PROB THAT KEPT THE PAX ONBOARD FOR SUCH A LONG TIME. HOWEVER; THE LONG DURATION OF TIME WAS CAUSE OF CONCERN DUE TO THE OBVIOUS INFECTIOUS STATE OF THE CHILD.