People who get the virus have:. They also might get a runny nose, cough, and stomachache. Thanks to the chickenpox vaccine , kids don't get chickenpox as much as they once did. Chickenpox may start out seeming like a cold: You might have a runny or stuffy nose, sneezing, and a cough. But 1 to 2 days later, the rash begins, often in bunches of spots on the chest and face.
From there it can spread out quickly over the entire body — sometimes the rash is even in a person's ears and mouth. You've probably heard that chickenpox is itchy. It's true! The chickenpox blisters are small and sit on an area of red skin that can be anywhere from the size of a pencil eraser to the size of a dime.
At first, the rash looks like pinkish dots that quickly develop a small blister on top a blister is a bump on your skin that fills up with fluid. After about 24 to 48 hours, the fluid in the blisters gets cloudy and the blisters begin to crust over. Chickenpox blisters show up in waves. So after some begin to crust over, a new group of spots might appear. It usually takes 10—14 days for all the blisters to be scabbed over and then you are no longer contagious.
Chickenpox is contagious, meaning that somebody who has it can easily spread it to someone else. A person with chickenpox is most contagious during the first 2 to 5 days of being sick. That's usually about 1 to 2 days before the rash shows up. So you could be spreading around chickenpox without even knowing it! Someone with chickenpox can pass it to others by coughing or sneezing, when tiny drops come out of the mouth and nose.
These drops are full of the chickenpox virus. However, because chickenpox tends to be mild in healthy children, most physicians do not feel that it is necessary to prescribe acyclovir. Acyclovir can be considered for otherwise healthy people who are at risk of moderate to severe varicella. It is important to consult with your physician for recommendations on the use of acyclovir.
Most people do not get chickenpox more than once. However, since varicella-zoster virus remains in the body after an initial infection, infection can return years later in the form of shingles in some older adults and sometimes in children. A vaccine to protect children against chickenpox was first licensed in Children who have never had chickenpox should routinely be administered two doses of varicella vaccine with the first dose at 12 to 15 months and the second dose at four to six years of age.
Persons 13 years of age and older who have never had chickenpox or have not received the varicella vaccine should get two doses of the varicella vaccine at least 28 days apart. The varicella vaccine may be given along with the measles-mumps-rubella MMR vaccine in a combination called measles-mumps-rubella-varicella MMRV that is approved for use in children 12 months through 12 years of age.
In New York State, varicella vaccine is required for children enrolled in pre-kindergarten programs and schools. Vaccination is recommended for healthcare personnel and college students who have never had chickenpox.
Maintaining high levels of varicella immunization in the community is critical to controlling the spread of chickenpox. To prevent further spread of chickenpox, people infected with the disease should remain home and avoid exposing others who are susceptible. Infected persons should remain home until the blisters become dry and crusted. It is very important to avoid exposing non-immune newborns and persons with a weakened immune system to chickenpox. Varicella vaccination is recommended for outbreak control.
During an outbreak, persons who do not have adequate evidence of immunity should receive their first or second dose as appropriate. The patient groups recommended to receive VariZIG include those with a weakened immune system, pregnant women, newborns whose mothers have symptoms of varicella around the time of delivery five days before to two days after delivery and certain premature infants exposed to chickenpox as newborns.
Navigation menu. Who gets chickenpox? How is chickenpox spread? And if they do get chickenpox, their symptoms will be much milder. People 6 years of age and older who have never had chickenpox and aren't vaccinated can and should get two doses of the vaccine.
Kids who have had chickenpox do not need the vaccine — they usually have lifelong protection against the illness. Call your doctor if you think your child has chickenpox.
The doctor can guide you in watching for complications and in choosing medicine to ease itching. If you take your child to the doctor, let the staff know ahead of time that your child might have chickenpox.
It's important not to expose other kids in the office — for some of them, a chickenpox infection could cause serious complications.
A virus causes chickenpox, so antibiotics can't treat it. But antibiotics are needed if bacteria infect the sores. This can happen when kids scratch and pick at the blisters. An antiviral medicine might be prescribed for people with chickenpox who are at risk for complications. The depends on the:. Never give aspirin to kids with chickenpox.
It can lead to a serious illness called Reye syndrome. Most chickenpox infections don't need special medical treatment. But sometimes, problems can happen. Call the doctor if your child:. Larger text size Large text size Regular text size. What Is Chickenpox? What Causes Chickenpox? Is Chickenpox Contagious? Someone with chickenpox can spread the virus: through droplets in the air by coughing or sneezing in their mucus, saliva spit , or fluid from the blisters Chickenpox is contagious from about 2 days before the rash starts until all the blisters are crusted over.
What Problems Can Happen?
0コメント