Chickenpox is probably the most common rash seen in children. It is not vaccinated against in Ireland and most children will contract it at some stage,often during pre-school years. The chickenpox virus has an incubation period of 10-14 days. This is the period of time from when the child is exposed to the virus until the rash begins. Very often the child may be unwell for about 2 days before the spots appear - they may be a little lethargic, run a temperature and have a runny nose.
The chickenpox rash begins with small itchy red bumps. The spots appear in groups or ‘crops’ with new waves of spots being produced as the illness progresses. They generally begin on the trunk or face but may spread over the entire body in a few days. The spots quickly change into fluid filled blisters. After a couple of days these burst and a scab forms. New waves of spots continue to form for about 4 days.
Chickenpox is usually a mild disease which can be treated at home. However, if your child is under a year old or seems very ill you should visit the GP.
Children should be kept at home until all the spots have scabbed over at which time it is safe to return to school/creche etc. Paracetamol may help with temperatures and there are a number of products available for applying to the spots to help with itching. We can advise you on the best one for your child.
Once a child has had chickenpox the body develops antibodies to it and these remain in the body giving lifelong immunity to the virus.