Chicken pox how fast does it spread

Shingles is contagious, but only to those who have never had chickenpox. Many schools and daycare centres have policies that require children with chickenpox to stay home for 5 days after the rash appears. The goal is to protect other children from the disease.

Unfortunately, this does not stop chickenpox from spreading. Chickenpox is contagious from 1 to 2 days before the rash appears, and most infectious from 12 to 24 hours before the rash appears.

It spreads through the air, not just by direct contact with the rash. If your child is too sick to take part in regular activities or if they have a fever, they should stay home. For mild cases low fever for a short period of time and only a little rash, less than 30 spots , children can go to school or child care if they feel well enough to take part in regular activities, and if the facility permits. Pregnant women can develop severe chickenpox. Most adult women are already protected against chickenpox by antibodies in their blood.

If you are thinking of getting pregnant and have not had chickenpox, you should be vaccinated. If you are pregnant and have not had chickenpox, call your doctor right away if you are exposed to chickenpox. Your doctor may want to give you a special type of immune globulin VariZIG that has antibodies to chickenpox to help prevent you from getting a severe infection. The best way to protect your child from chickenpox is vaccination.

If your child is not yet vaccinated and comes in contact with another child or family member who has chickenpox, they may still be protected if they are vaccinated right away. If your child has an immune system disorder and comes in contact with chickenpox, call your doctor right away. The doctor can give a special type of immune globulin VariZIG with a large concentration of antibodies to chickenpox to help prevent infection, or early treatment with an antiviral drug.

Last updated: May Home Health conditions and treatments Current: Chickenpox. Side effects are rare, but can include nausea and diarrhoea. Immunoglobulin is a solution of antibodies that is taken from healthy donors. Varicella-zoster immunoglobulin VZIG contains antibodies to the chickenpox virus. Immunoglobulin treatment is given by injection. It is not used to treat chickenpox, but to protect people who are at high risk of developing a severe chickenpox infection.

This includes:. In the case of pregnant women, immunoglobulin treatment also reduces the risk of the unborn baby becoming infected. In some cases, newborn babies may be given immunoglobulin treatment without having a blood test first. Read more about the complications of chickenpox. Complications of chickenpox are rare in healthy children. The most common complication is where the blisters become infected with bacteria.

A sign that the blisters have become infected is when the surrounding skin becomes red and sore. If you think that your child's blisters have become infected, contact your GP as the child may need a course of antibiotics. Very rarely, chickenpox can lead to more serious complications involving the nervous system brain and spinal cord in children. These include infections of the brain encephalitis , the protective membranes around the brain meningitis or part of the brain called the cerebellum cerebellitis.

Seek medical advice as soon as possible if your child develops any of these symptoms after having chickenpox. Chickenpox can be more serious in adults than in children. Adults with the virus are more likely to be admitted into hospital. If you smoke, your risk of developing lung problems is much higher. Although it is more serious in adults, most people will still make a full recovery from the chickenpox virus.

For example, your risk of developing pneumonia is slightly higher if you're pregnant, especially if you smoke. The further you are into your pregnancy, the more serious the risk of pneumonia tends to be. If you get chickenpox while you're pregnant, there is also a small but significant risk to your unborn baby.

If you are infected with chickenpox during the first 28 weeks of your pregnancy, there is a risk that your unborn baby could develop a condition known as foetal varicella syndrome FVS. This syndrome is rare. If you are infected with chickenpox 7 days before or 7 days after giving birth, your newborn baby may develop a more serious type of chickenpox. In a few severe cases, this type of chickenpox can be fatal. See your GP urgently if you're pregnant or have given birth in the last 7 days and you think you may have chickenpox, or if you've been exposed to someone who has chickenpox.

If your immune system is weak or does not work properly, you are more susceptible to developing infections such as chickenpox. This is because your body produces fewer antibodies to fight off the infection. Immunosuppressive medication such as steroid tablets may be used if, for example, you have an inflammatory condition such as rheumatoid arthritis , lupus or certain blood conditions. If you have a weakened immune system, you're also more at risk of developing complications from chickenpox.

These complications include:. See your GP urgently if you have a weakened immune system and you've been exposed to the chickenpox virus. For more information, read about how to stop the spread of chickenpox. If your child has chickenpox,it is recommended that you inform their school or nursery, and keep them at home for 5 days.

If you have chickenpox, stay off work and at home until you're no longer infectious, which is until the last blister has burst and crusted over. This usually happens five or six days after the rash begins. If you or your child have recently been exposed to the chickenpox virus, you may not be able to visit friends or relatives in hospital. Telephone the ward to check first. If you or your child have chickenpox, you may not be allowed to fly until 6 days after the last spot has appeared.

You and your child should be safe to fly once you're past the infectious stage and all of the blisters have crusted over. However, it's best to check the policy of your airline first.

Inform the airline as soon as chickenpox is diagnosed. It is also important to let your travel insurer know if you or your child has chickenpox. You need to make sure that you'll be covered if you have to delay or cancel your holiday, or if you need to extend your stay until your child is well enough to fly home.

Chickenpox can sometimes be spread through contact with objects that have been contaminated with the virus, such as children's toys, bedding or clothing. If someone in your household has chickenpox, you can help stop the virus spreading by wiping any objects or surfaces with a sterilising solution and making sure that any infected clothing or bedding is washed regularly.

There is a chickenpox vaccine that is used to protect people who are most at risk of a serious chickenpox infection or of passing the infection on to someone who is at risk. The vaccine is not suitable for pregnant women. Avoid getting pregnant for 3 months after having the vaccine. The vaccine is also not suitable for people with weakened immune systems.

Home Illnesses and conditions Infections and poisoning Chickenpox. Chickenpox See all parts of this guide Hide guide parts 1. About chickenpox 2. Symptoms of chickenpox 3. Causes of chickenpox 4. Diagnosing chickenpox 5. Treating chickenpox 6. Complications of chickenpox 7. Preventing the spread of chickenpox. High Priority Alert. Close alert. Informational Alert. Is this your child's symptom? A rash all over the body caused by the chickenpox virus. The chickenpox rash starts as small red bumps.

The bumps change to blisters or pimples. The bumps change to open sores, and finally they scab over. A doctor has told you that your child has chickenpox. 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. During this time, new "crops" of spots appear, form blisters, and then crust over.