9 things every parent needs to know about chickenpox

Catching chickenpox is something of a rite of passage for kids and most UK children will have caught it by the time they reach the age of 10.

In most cases this highly contagious disease is mild, but for some people it can cause unpleasant complications.

Keep scrolling to find out the most common symptoms, who can catch it and whether you can travel or go to work when you have it.

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What are the symptoms of chickenpox? 

• A high temperature, typically for a couple of days
• Aches and pains
• Generally feeling unwell
• Loss of appetite
• Spots, around 24 hours after the onset of fever. 

Symptoms appear 10-21 days after being exposed to someone else with the disease and will get better by themselves after 1-2 weeks, in most cases without seeing a doctor.

Although it's considered to be a 'childhood illness', adults can still get it if they haven't had it before and symptoms tend to be more severe.

If your child is feeling under the weather, use one of our best digital thermometers to quickly and easily take their temperature.

What are the 3 stages of chickenpox? 

The 'stages' refer to the three phases of spots/rash. Some people only have a few spots whereas others may find they cover the whole body. In some cases it's even possible to have had it without having had any symptoms at all.

Stage 1: This is when small, flat or slightly raised spots appear, generally on the face and scalp. The spots are pink, red or may be the same colour as surrounding skin. If you have brown or black skin it may be harder to see the spots. 

Stage 2: This stage happens when the spots often spread to other parts of the body including chest, stomach, arms, legs and underarms, filling with fluid and turning into blisters, which are very itchy and may even burst. It is important to stop children from scratching these because they occasionally become infected with bacteria from the skin and can end up needing antibiotics.

Stage 3: The blisters crust over to become scabs, some of which are flaky while others leak fluid. This stage usually happens around five days after the first spots have appeared.

Is your child's rash chickenpox or could it be something else? Take a look at pictures of childhood rashes to help you decide

What is the best treatment for chickenpox? 

• Take paracetamol to help with pain. Unless advised by a doctor, do not use ibuprofen as this may cause serious skin infections.
• Drink plenty of fluids. Try ice lollies if your little one isn't drinking.
• Soothe the itch. Cooling creams and gels are available from the pharmacy, as well as calamine lotion. Your pharmacist can also advise on whether antihistamines may be appropriate. 
• Bathing in oatmeal. Research shows that a bath with colloidal (finely milled) oatmeal may also help to soothe the itch. After bathing, pat the skin dry rather than rubbing it.
• Remove the temptation to scratch. Cutting your child's fingernails and putting mittens or socks on their hands at night may help them to stop scratching. Scratching can lead to scarring as well as skin infections so should be discouraged.

The only thing you can do is treat the symptoms - as chickenpox is caused by a virus (the varicella-zoster virus) antibiotics won't help, except in rare cases where the spots become infected, for example if they are scratched.

Bacteria that's normally on the skin, such as Strep A, may get through the chickenpox spots and into the blood where they can. In severe cases, this can cause serious conditions such as sepsis, although this is rare.

Baby first aid essentials - find out what should be in your first aid kit, and what to do in a medical emergency

How long is chickenpox contagious for?

Someone with chickenpox starts being contagious from one or two days before their rash appears and continues until the spots have crusted over to form scabs around five days after - so all in all, around seven days.

Chickenpox is caught by being in contact with the blisters and very occasionally through contact with objects such as bedding, clothing and toys.

The Oxford Vaccine Group at the University of Oxford says: 'If someone with chickenpox comes into contact with people who have not had the disease, about nine out of 10 of them will catch chickenpox.'

It's so easy to spread (and easy to catch), so anyone who knows they have it should stay away from public places until they can be sure they're no longer contagious and away from people who could be harmed by catching it.

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Can you get chickenpox twice?

You can get chickenpox twice but it's unusual. 

However, what can happen is that the chickenpox virus, which lies dormant in your nerve roots once you've had it, gets reactivated years later, leading to shingles (zoster). 

Shingles generally starts as a headache and a tingling or painful feeling on the skin before progressing to a painful rash of chickenpox-like spots in a line along just one side of the body, usually on your chest or stomach. 

You can't spread shingles to other people but if you encounter someone who hasn't had chickenpox before, they could catch chickenpox from your shingles.

If you're over 70 and concerned about getting shingles, you can get a vaccine to reduce the risk of catching it and making the symptoms milder if you do.

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Is there a vaccine for chickenpox?

Yes there is a chickenpox vaccine, but the 'varicella vaccine' is currently only recommended for those at risk of complications from the virus, or those in regular or close contact with someone who would be vulnerable if they caught chickenpox.

The government's Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) has discussed whether to recommend adding the vaccine to the childhood vaccination schedule to protect the vulnerable.

However, in its last review it concluded that it wouldn't be cost-effective because it could end up reducing adult exposure to the chickenpox virus through their lifetime so that in older age they'd be more likely to suffer from shingles - a costly and difficult condition to treat. 

Also, the vaccine doesn't guarantee lifetime immunity from chickenpox although if you have it after vaccination you'll generally have milder symptoms.

Speak to your doctor about eligibility, or you can pay to have the vaccine privately. For example, Boots offers the service for those aged 1-65 at some of its stores at a cost of £140 for the two doses needed.

7 things every parent needs to know about Strep A infection - what is it, how is it spread and can it be treated?

Can I go to work and visit family or friends if my child has chickenpox?

If your child or children have chickenpox, you'll need to keep them away from school or nursery (or, in the case of adults, work) until all the spots have formed a scab, which is usually five days after the spots have appeared.

If you're a healthy adult and have had chickenpox, you are fine to go to work, out to the shops or to visit other people, even if you are looking after someone who has chickenpox, but make sure you keep good hygiene such as washing your hands.

If you haven't had chickenpox or can't be certain that you have, with such a high infection rate (90%) you should assume that you, too, will catch it and will need to follow the same rules as children in terms of how long you'll be infectious and the need to isolate.

There are certain people who are greater risk of complications if they catch the chickenpox virus so it's best to avoid contact entirely: 

• Those who are pregnant who aren't immune to chickenpox
• Newborn babies
• Smokers who aren't immune to chickenpox
• People with immune system problems

13 things to do if you find out you're pregnant - our guide to getting prepared for your new arrival

Can you fly with chickenpox?

In general, yes, but the rules vary from one airline to another so you should check with the specific one you're travelling with. 

Listed here are the current chickenpox policies* of some passenger airlines flying out of the UK but always check because rules may change.

9 things that can go wrong when flying with a baby and how to avoid them - we tell you how to serve common air travel mishaps

Why is chickenpox more common in Spring?

Chickenpox is a seasonal disease, with most cases occurring in winter and spring, and there is often a peak between March and May.

The reasons infections can be seasonal is complex and experts say a whole host of factors could be involved including the weather and how that impacts human behaviour (for example, whether we are spending more time indoors because it's cold or outside because it's warmer).

There's also research being done into whether our immunity to infection changes depending on the time of year and if this is to do with our internal body clock.

However, it's still possible to catch a disease like chickenpox outside of peak times so if you spot symptoms 'out of season' don't assume it's something else.

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