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Chickenpox is a very contagious disease which
spreads rapidly through a virus known as varicella zoster; the disease
can be spread in one or two ways, the first by having direct contact with
the rash and the second by transmission through the air by coughing or
sneezing just like the common cold.
Chickenpox is an extremely common infection that affects most children
and usually most will have caught the virus by the time they are 9 years
old.
What are the symptoms of chickenpox?
The symptoms of chickenpox will vary greatly from child to child and will
depend on the severity of the infection; some children may only develop
a very mild form of the illness while it can be very severe in others.
The main symptoms of the illness are
* A fever
* Symptoms commonly associated with the common cold
* Extreme fatigue
* Very irritable
Within a short time of your child developing the illness the typical rash
associated with the illness will appear, the rash is very characteristic
and one which is usually very easily identifiable.
The rash will present itself as a series of red round or oval spots with
a blister like centre; this centre is filled with the virus and is usually
a yellowish colour when seen up close. The rash will usually be extremely
itchy and can cause a lot of discomfort due to this, it can occur anywhere
on the child's body and the amount of spots, or rash that is presents
can vary from just a few to completely covering the child's whole body.
When is the disease most contagious?
The disease is at its most contagious just a couple of days before the
rash shows itself, as very often the child up until this point has only
shown signs of the common cold this is the main reason the disease is
so common and spreads rapidly between children.
Once the rash is present the child is contagious for another 3 to 5 days
or until the blisters have formed a crust. A child can develop chickenpox
in as long as 20 days after being in contact with a child with the illness
though it is more usual for the symptoms to start showing within 14 days
of being in contact.
Are there any complications from the disease?
For the majority of children who develop the disease there are no serious
side effects or consequences to the disease, serious complications from
the disease are very rare and only occur in roughly 1 in 2000 children.
Complications which can arise as a result of the infection are, pneumonia,
inflammation of the brain and problems relating to the balance.
These however are very rare and usually the biggest problem relating to
chickenpox is the amount of time lost from work and school due to the
commonness of the illness.
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