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Pharmacy Links

CHILD’S HEALTH/INFECTIOUS DISEASES: CHICKENPOX (VARICELLA) CLINICAL FEATURES

May 21, 2009

The incubation period for chickenpox is 2-3 weeks after contact. Symptoms tend to be much milder in children than in adults, so you may actually be doing your child a favour if you let him catch chickenpox! The illness usually starts with a general feeling of tiredness and lethargy, which is soon followed by the outbreak of a characteristic rash. At first this rash appears as red spots which develop into crops of small blisters over the trunk. These begin to appear soon on the rest of the body, and may occur even in the mouth, ears or on the genitalia. The blisters are extremely itchy, and new ones keep forming as older ones are scabbing over and drying up. Your child remains contagious until the last blister has scabbed over and the blisters are all dry. The scabs may take several weeks to fall off. The rash does not leave any scars unless your child scratches the blisters or scabs, or they become infected. The rash may be accompanied by a fever, which is usually more marked in adults.

In healthy children complications of chickenpox are unlikely, although they do occasionally occur. These include pneumonia and encephalitis. Children who have reduced immunity, such as those with cancer or those taking immunosuppressant medication, can suffer severe attacks of chickenpox and should be kept away from those who have it. Elderly people cannot get shingles from chickenpox, but children can develop chickenpox after contact with someone who has shingles.