![]() ![]() People get shingles when VZV reactivates in their bodies after they have already had chickenpox. After chickenpox, the virus remains in the body (dormant). The varicella-zoster virus also causes shingles. These people are considered contagious until no new lesions have appeared for 24 hours. Vaccinated people who get chickenpox may develop lesions that do not crust. The virus spreads mainly through close contact with someone who has chickenpox.Ī person with chickenpox is considered contagious beginning 1 to 2 days before rash onset until all the chickenpox lesions have crusted (scabbed). If one person has it, up to 90% of the people close to that person who are not immune will also become infected. ![]() The virus spreads easily from people with chickenpox to others who have never had the disease or never been vaccinated. Once all the blisters have dried up and scabbed, the child is no longer considered contagious to others.Chickenpox is a highly contagious disease caused by the varicella-zoster virus (VZV). Children with chickenpox should avoid pregnant people who have never had chickenpox, newborns, and people who have a weak immune system or eczema. You can give the child acetaminophen (eg, Children’s Tylenol).īecause chickenpox is highly contagious, keep the child at home until their symptoms are gone and all the blisters have crusted.DO NOT USE lotions containing antihistamines or lidocaine, as they are no more effective than the previous measures and might cause allergic reactions.Keep the child’s fingernails short to help minimize skin breaks with scratching.Take oral antihistamines such as diphenhydramine (eg, Children’s Zyrtec) during the day and chlorpheniramine (eg, Children’s Benadryl) at night.Lesions in different stages of development may occur at the same time.Ĭhickenpox resolves on its own after 1-3 weeks, but it is most important to keep the child comfortable and to discourage scratching, which can cause infection and scars. Lesions often occur in 3 or more successive crops. Blisters become cloudy and then crust over, with healing completed within 1-3 weeks. The vesicles are usually described as looking like “a dewdrop on a rose petal” and are easily broken. A child who has had the chickenpox vaccine will typically have far fewer lesions and less severe symptoms, in general. The average child develops a few hundred blisters, most of which heal without leaving scars. Linings of body cavities, such as inside the mouth or nose (mucous membranes), palms, and soles can have a few lesions. The rash usually appears first on the scalp or face, and then it spreads downward on the body. In darker skin colors, the redness may be harder to see, or it may appear more purple. The rash is itchy and initially starts as pink-to-red macules (small, flat areas of skin) that quickly turn into papules (small, solid bumps) and then vesicles (fluid-filled blisters) with a surrounding halo of redness. These symptoms last for 2-4 days after the rash appears. Most children develop fever, lethargy, and other symptoms (eg, loss of appetite, headache, stomachache) for 1-3 days followed by a rash. Because the virus remains resting (latent) in the parts of nerve roots near the spinal cord for life, about 1 in 10 adults who have had chickenpox will get shingles (zoster) when the virus reappears, usually under conditions of stress to the body.Īfter having chickenpox, a person is usually immune for life, although reinfection is possible. Children who have a weak immune system, eczema, or recent sunburn have more severe symptoms. Rare complications include lung infection (pneumonia) or brain infection (encephalitis). The most common complication is bacterial infection of lesions. People are considered contagious for 2-5 days before the onset of the rash and for 6 days after the last series of rashes have appeared. The incubation period is 14-16 days, and the first obvious sign of disease is a rash. Infection spreads from person to person through fluids from the airways, such as from coughing and sneezing. Varicella, commonly known as chickenpox, is an infection caused by the varicella-zoster virus. ![]()
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