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Chickenpox


Disclaimer: This fact sheet is for educational use only. Please consult your doctor or other health professional to make sure this information is right for your child.

Key points to remember

  • most cases of chickenpox are mild and children get better completely
  • scarring can happen if your child scratches the spots and they get infected
  • for fever or pain, you can give your child paracetamol (not aspirin); see What is the treatment?
  • your child needs to see a doctor if they have a very high fever or are very ill, such as being very drowsy, breathing fast or vomiting a lot

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What is it?

Chickenpox is a viral illness. The chickenpox virus is also called varicella virus or varicella zoster virus. It is the same virus that can cause shingles. 
 
Chickenpox usually starts with one spot, but more spots quickly appear, with:
  • fever
  • headache
  • runny nose
  • a cough
  • feeling very tired
The rash starts on the chest and back, and spreads to the face, scalp, arms and legs. The rash can develop all over the body, inside the ears, on the eyelids, inside the nose and within the vagina, everywhere. The rash continues to spread for three or four days. It is usually very itchy.
 
Within a few hours after each spot appears, a blister forms. It may appear full of yellow fluid. After a day or so, the fluid turns cloudy. These spots are easily broken and form a scab. The spots heal at different stages, some faster than others, so your child may have the rash in several different stages at once.
 
Some kids breeze through chickenpox with just a few spots. Others have a terrible time with hundreds of itchy spots. In families with several kids, it can last for weeks, because of the relatively long incubation period (the time between the initial exposure to infection and appearance of the first symptoms).
 

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What is the incubation period?

The incubation period is the time between the initial exposure to infection and appearance of the first symptoms. A parent doesn't always know when their child has been exposed to chickenpox. Some children can come into contact with chickenpox and do not catch it. But the general rule is that chickenpox will show up about ten to 21 days after your child has come into contact with an infectious person.
 

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How long will my child be infectious?

Chickenpox is a highly catching, common childhood disease.
 
Your child is infectious from two days before the rash appears and stays infectious until all the blisters form scabs. Generally, this takes seven days.
 
Children must stay away from daycare or school while they are infectious. The virus is easily spread when an infected person sneezes or coughs. You can catch chickenpox from clothing that has fresh discharge from the rash of an infected person.
 
Once all the spots have formed scabs, the person is no longer infectious. Your child may go back to school seven days after the first spots appear, as long as the spots are all scabbed over.
 
Chickenpox is most common in children between the ages of two years and ten years. If one child in your household gets it, it is almost certain that any others who have never had chickenpox will get it next.
 

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What is the treatment?

  • most children do not need any treatment for chickenpox – a soothing lotion such as calamine lotion can be put on the spots to help relieve the itching
  • for fever or pain, you can give your child paracetamol. You must follow the dosage instructions on the bottle. It is dangerous to give more than the recommended dose. Never give your child aspirin as this may increase the risk of Reye syndrome, which is a rare and serious illness
  • chickenpox can be prevented by immunisation (see Where to go for more information)

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How to prevent scarring

Secondary bacterial infection of the spots can be caused by your child scratching, which can lead to scars.

To help prevent scarring from the spots:

  • dress your child in lightweight pyjamas or clothing
  • clip your child's fingernails as closely as you can
  • try putting mittens on the hands of very young children
  • try 20-minute baths, three times a day, with baking soda or an oatmeal type bath product in lukewarm water
  • change your child's clothes and bed sheets daily
  • apply a soothing lotion such as calamine lotion
  • if your child is fidgety and wants to scratch the spots, your doctor may suggest an anti-itch medicine

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Where to go for more information

IMAC (Immunisation Advisory Centre)
The IMAC website has information about Chickenpox (varicella) and the vaccine1. For specific questions on immunisation, vaccination-preventable diseases or a specific vaccine, you can contact IMAC.
Call free on 0800 IMMUNE (0800 466863), weekdays 9am-4.30 pm
Email: imac@auckland.ac.nz
Website: http://www.immune.org.nz/
 
Ministry of Health Immunisation pages
The immunisation section of the Ministry of Health website includes The Immunisation Handbook 20062. This provides detailed information for health professionals on vaccine preventable diseases, the vaccines available to prevent these diseases and the immunisation schedule. It may be of interest to those parents who want more comprehensive information. The Handbook has a section on Varicella (chickenpox and shingles)3.
Website: http://www.moh.govt.nz/immunisation.html
 

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Acknowledgements

Starship Foundation and the Paediatric Society of New Zealand acknowledge the co-operation of The Children's Hospital at Westmead, Sydney Children's Hospital at Randwick, and Kaleidoscope - Hunter Children's Health Network in making this fact sheet available to patients and families.
 

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Endorsement

This fact sheet was endorsed by PSNZ - 06/11/2006

Copyright

Fact sheets are subject to copyright. In the interests of information sharing they may be copied but acknowledgement must be given to PSNZ and Starship Foundation.
© The Paediatric Society of New Zealand and Starship Foundation 2005 - 2010


The Paediatric Society of New Zealand
http://www.paediatrics.org.nz 		Starship Foundation
http://www.starship.org.nz