It can also be spread by being exposed to the fluid from the blistering rash. Once exposed, symptoms usually appear within a couple of weeks. But it may take as few as 10 and as many as 21 days for the chickenpox to develop. Chickenpox is contagious for 1 to 2 days before the rash starts and until the blisters have all dried and become scabs.
The blisters usually dry and become scabs within 5 to 7 days of the onset of the rash. Children should stay home and away from other children until all of the blisters have scabbed over. It is important that people who are infected avoid those with weak immune systems, such as those with organ transplants, HIV, or those getting cancer treatment.
Family members who have never had chickenpox have a high chance of becoming infected when another family member in the house is infected. The illness is often more severe in adults compared to children. Symptoms are usually mild in children.
But symptoms may be life-threatening to adults and people of any age with weak immune systems. However, each person may experience symptoms differently. Symptoms may include:. The initial symptoms of chickenpox may resemble other infections. Once the skin rash and blisters happen, it is usually obvious to a healthcare provider that it is chickenpox. If a person who has been vaccinated against the disease is exposed, he or she may get a milder illness with less severe rash and mild or no fever.
Always talk with your healthcare provider for a diagnosis. The rash of chickenpox is unique. Diagnosis can usually be made on the appearance of the rash and a history of exposure.
Children should not scratch the blisters because it could lead to secondary bacterial infections. Keep fingernails short to decrease the likelihood of scratching. Complications can happen from chickenpox. They are more common in adults and people with weak immune systems. Complications may include:. If your symptoms get worse or you have new symptoms, call your healthcare provider.
In the past, chickenpox was a common disease and was most often diagnosed by a health care provider based on symptoms. However, chickenpox is now less common, and is often difficult to differentiate between other rash illnesses, such as hand, foot, and mouth disease. It is recommended that all chickenpox cases be confirmed by laboratory testing.
The recommended laboratory test is called PCR and can be done by swabbing a lesion or testing a scab. During a chickenpox outbreak, the Minnesota Department of Health MDH recommends vaccination for children who have not received two chickenpox shots or have not had chickenpox. Chickenpox Varicella General information about chickenpox, including symptoms, complications, treatment, and vaccination.
What are the symptoms of chickenpox? How is chickenpox spread? Once someone comes in contact with the virus, it usually takes about 2 weeks for chickenpox to appear, but it can range from 10 to 21 days.
Who should get a chickenpox vaccine? Children should get their first dose at 12 to 15 months old and the second at 4 to 6 years old. Children 12 years and younger should receive a total of two doses given at least 3 months apart. Because of higher risk of health problems, all people 13 years and older who have never had chickenpox or been vaccinated should get two doses 4 to 8 weeks apart.
Chickenpox vaccine should not be given during pregnancy. Most vaccinated people will not get chickenpox. If a vaccinated person does get chickenpox, it is usually mild, with few blisters, and low or no fever. The chickenpox vaccine prevents almost all cases of severe disease. Isn't chickenpox a mild disease? Chickenpox is an infection caused by the varicella-zoster virus. Chickenpox is usually a mild illness in children. Infection in teenagers, adults and people with weakened immune systems can be more serious.
Complications from chickenpox include pneumonia lung infection , encephalitis swelling of the brain , and bacterial infections of the skin from scratching. Encephalitis can lead to convulsions, deafness, or brain damage. About 1 in every 3, adults with chickenpox will die from the infection. Chickenpox can cause birth defects if the mother gets chickenpox while she is pregnant, and these can be fatal.
Yes, the chickenpox vaccine provides protection against chickenpox. The virus is spread through the air by an infected person sneezing or coughing.
It can also be spread through contact with the fluid from chickenpox blisters, or the saliva of a person who has chickenpox. A pregnant woman with chickenpox can pass it to her baby before birth. People with chickenpox can spread the virus to others from up to 5 days before and 5 days after the rash appears.
They are most contagious from the day before and for the first few days after the rash appears. To reduce the spread of chickenpox, children with the illness should not attend daycare or school until 5 days after the rash first appears or the blisters have crusted.
It usually takes 2 to 3 weeks for a person to get sick after exposure to the virus. If your child is exposed to chickenpox, watch for signs of the illness for the next 2 to 3 weeks. Symptoms of chickenpox may include fever, aches, tiredness, headache and loss of appetite. A few days later, a rash appears. Red spots appear first on the face and scalp, and then spread quickly down the body and to the arms and legs. The spots become very itchy and begin to look like blisters, filled with clear fluid.
After another few days, the fluid becomes cloudy, the blisters break, and a crust or scab forms while the skin heals.
0コメント