Chicken pox

Chicken pox is very infectious. A child who has not yet had it before, and who comes into contact with an infected person, will almost certainly catch it. Children with chicken pox are infectious from about two days before to six days after the appearance of the rash, by which time the last crop of blisters should have crusted over.

The virus is spread either by direct contact with a person with active chicken pox or shingles, or by indirect contact with clothes or other articles infected with vesicle fluid, saliva, nasal discharge etc, or by airborne spread of small droplets of infected mucous or vesicle fluid.

To prevent further spread of chicken pox, children should be kept off school for six to seven days until all the blisters have crusted over. Shingles cannot be caught from chicken pox.

Most people with chicken pox don’t need any specific treatment and get better without any medicine.

Self-help

The following tips may help:

• Drink enough fluids.
• Make sure you’re not too hot or cold.
• Wear smooth, cotton fabrics to reduce any irritation to your rash.
• Keep your nails short to reduce any skin damage caused by scratching

Chicken pox spots are usually very itchy, but try not to scratch them as it can make them infected.

Medicine

Calamine lotion may help soothe and reduce the itchiness of your rash. You can buy this at a pharmacy. You can use paracetamol if you have fever or pain – children can have paracetamol (eg Calpol) too. Always read the patient information leaflet that comes with your medicine. If you have any questions, ask your pharmacist for advice.

You can also take an antihistamine, such as chlorphenamine, which might help with your itching. These can be bought over the counter from a pharmacy. Antihistamines are taken by mouth and are suitable for children over the age of one.

If you’re over 14 years old and at risk of complications, you may be offered an antiviral drug called acyclovir (Zovirax) or valaciclovir. This can help to reduce your symptoms and recover faster if taken within 24 hours of the rash appearing. If you smoke or take steroids, you may be more likely to get complications. As with all medicines, acyclovir can cause some side-effects, such as diarrhoea and vomiting.

If you have a weakened immune system, have a very young baby, or are pregnant and come into contact with someone who has chicken pox and you or your infant haven’t had it before, speak to your GP straightaway. You might be offered an injection that contains antibodies. Antibodies are proteins that help your immune system to fight bacteria and viruses. You’ll need to have the injection of varicella zoster immune globulin within 10 days of coming into contact with someone who has chicken pox for it to work. This antibody treatment is known as passive immunisation, and is different to having a vaccination. The antibodies are unlikely to stop you developing chicken pox, but they may make your symptoms milder. You may also be given an antiviral medicine to take.

Chicken pox is a miserable illness but is almost always harmless. Complications can, however, occur. The most common is a bacterial infection of the blisters. This should be treated promptly with antibiotics. Occasionally there is bleeding into the blisters due the to the virus interfering with blood clotting mechanisms. This is short-lasting and easily treated. In the recovery phase, some children may become clumsy and unable to walk properly. This is due to inflammation in a specific part of the brain. Although alarming, the symptoms will settle as the rash disappears. No treatment is needed and recovery will be complete. The varicella virus itself can cause a severe pneumonia. This can become life-threatening when complicated by additional bacterial infection but usually only occurs in adults.

There is about a two per cent risk of the varicella-zoster virus affecting the foetus if chicken pox is caught in early pregnancy. The greatest risk appears to be between the 13th and 20th week. In such an event the doctor will fully discuss the risks and how to determine if the baby has been harmed. If the mother has the first signs of the rash in the few days before or after delivery, the baby is at risk of developing severe chicken pox. This risk can be minimised by injecting the baby with varicella-zoster immunoglobulin. This is prepared from blood donors who have had chicken pox and whose blood thus contains high levels of antibody against the virus. Chicken pox in the second half of pregnancy, but before the last week, carries no risk to the baby.

Other groups at risk of severe complications from chicken pox are those with an impaired immune system. This includes patients receiving therapy for cancer and those on oral corticosteroid treatment (for example, people with severe asthma). If they have not had chicken pox before, these people must see their doctor immediately after any contact with the infection for appropriate treatment.

1. If I have chicken pox, when am I most infectious?

You're most infectious one or two days before the rash first appears. However, you remain infectious until the blisters crust over, which usually takes about five to six days. Stay away from school or work during this time.

The virus that causes chicken pox (varicella zoster) can be spread by the fine spray of saliva or mucous droplets when you cough or sneeze. You can also catch chicken pox through direct contact with the fluid from chicken pox blisters, either from a person who is infected or from items such as clothing that have been in contact with broken blisters.

Chicken pox is spread very easily. About nine out of 10 people who come into contact with someone carrying the virus will catch it if they haven't already had it.

It takes between one and three weeks after you have been exposed to the virus to develop chicken pox. This is called the incubation period.

2. Can I develop shingles after being exposed to someone with chicken pox?

No. However, if you haven't already had chicken pox, it's possible to catch it if you come into contact with someone who has shingles.

Even after your chicken pox infection clears, the virus that causes it (varicella zoster) remains in the nerves in your body.

Many years or even decades later, the varicella zoster virus can re-activate, causing shingles. The virus is most likely to re-activate if your immune system is weakened, for example by stress or a long-term course of corticosteroids. Shingles results in a very painful rash of small red raised spots. The rash develops on one side of your body and in one area, usually your chest.

The fluid in the blisters of people with shingles contains the varicella zoster virus. So if you come into contact with this fluid you can catch the virus if you haven't already had chickenpox.

In people with shingles the virus isn't spread by coughing or sneezing, so the infection isn't as contagious as chicken pox.

3. Can I travel on an aeroplane when I have chicken pox?

No. If you have chicken pox, air travel isn't allowed until the blisters have crusted over, as you may spread the infection to other passengers. This usually takes around six days.

Because chicken pox can be spread through the fine spray of droplets in the air from coughing or sneezing, travelling in a contained area such as an aeroplane puts other passengers at high risk of catching the virus.

You must wait for about six days after being infected, or until your last blister has burst and crusted over, before you fly. You should also check the airline policy and let your insurer know.

4. I have chicken pox. Is there anyone I should avoid, and for how long?

Yes. If you have chicken pox, there are certain people you should try to avoid while you're infectious. This includes people with a weakened immune system, pregnant woman and newborn babies, as they are more likely to have complications from chickenpox if they catch it.

If you have chicken pox, you're infectious about one or two days before the rash appears, up to when the blisters scab over, which is usually five or six days later.

Chicken pox can affect the development of an unborn baby, so it's important to avoid pregnant women who haven't had it before. People with weakened immune systems and babies are more likely to develop complications from chickenpox.

Because of these risks it's best not to go out in public when you have chicken pox, or to tell people you will come into contact with that you have chicken pox so they can let you know whether it's an issue.

5. What is the chicken pox vaccine and how does it work?

The chicken pox vaccine protects against the varicella zoster virus that causes chicken pox. The vaccine causes your immune system to produce antibodies that will help prevent chicken pox.

Vaccines stimulate your immune system in the same way as an infection, but without causing a full-blown disease. Vaccines are a safe way to ensure you develop your own antibodies to a particular infection.

The chicken pox vaccine (Varilrix or Varivax) contains a small amount of a weakened form of the varicella zoster virus that causes chicken pox. The vaccine causes your immune system to produce antibodies that will help protect against chicken pox.

The vaccine is given in two doses, four to eight weeks apart. Nine in 10 children and three-quarters of teenagers and adults who have the vaccine develop immunity against chickenpox.

The most common side-effect of the chicken pox vaccine is soreness and redness around the site of the injection. A mild rash may occur in one in 10 children and one in 20 adults.

6. Who can have the vaccine?

In the UK, the vaccine is currently only given to certain people, such as healthcare workers who are likely to come into contact with people who are particularly vulnerable to chicken pox such as

• premature babies or people who have a weakened immune system,
• those who have HIV/AIDS, or
• those who are taking medicines that suppress the immune system.

This is to protect vulnerable people from catching chicken pox from an infected carer.

Your doctor may recommend the vaccine if you haven't had chicken pox or shingles before trying for a baby or if you have a weakened immune system.

If you have an egg allergy, it's important that you tell your GP or practice nurse before having the vaccine.

7. Who shouldn't have the vaccine?

The chicken pox vaccine shouldn't be given to pregnant women. If you have the vaccine, you should wait three months after the last dose before trying for a baby.

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