Chicken Pox (Varicella zoster virus)

Chicken pox may start with a fever and feeling unwell, like having a cold. In some children the first sign of the infection is the rash. The rash usually starts on the chest, and most spots appear on the chest and head (including in the hair), although some children and adults can have spots all over the body (except palms of hands and soles of feet). The spots start as red, itchy lumps, which later become blisters. The top comes off of the blister and watery fluid escapes. Then a crust forms on the spot. This crust takes about 5 days to fall off. The spots often come in waves for several days so that there will be new lumps, blisters and crusting sores on the skin at the same time.

Transmission of the Infection

The infection is spread when the person sneezes or coughs, or when someone touches the fluid in the blisters. It can also be spread by touching something that has touched the fluid from the blisters (e.g. a dressing which covered the sore).

Chickenpox can be caught from the fluid in the blisters of someone with shingles, though this is rare.

The person with chickenpox is contagious from the beginning of the illness (up to 2 days before the spots appear) until about 5 days after the first spots appear. So long as there are no new blisters or moist crusts on spots, the person will not be contagious even if there are still crusts on the skin.

Chickenpox is very easy to catch (contagious). Over 90% of close contacts (such as other family members) will get chickenpox if they have not already had it or not been immunised.