What are the symptoms of chicken pox?
Symptoms are usually more severe in adults than in children. You can expect to have a few uncomfortable days.
- Fever (temperature), aches and headache often start a day or so before a rash appears.
- Rash. Spots appear in crops. The spots develop into small blisters and are itchy. They can be anywhere on the body and sometimes also in the mouth. Several crops may develop over several days. Some people are covered in spots, others have only a few.
- Dry cough, sore throat, and feeling sick are common.
The fever and generally feeling unwell can last several days. The blisters gradually dry up and scab. They slowly fade over a week or so, but may take 2-3 weeks to go completely. A dry cough may persist for a while after all the other symptoms have gone.
What is the treatment for chickenpox?
Treatment aims to ease symptoms whilst your immune system fights the virus.
- Have plenty to drink to avoid dehydration.
- Take paracetamol or ibuprofen to ease fever, headaches, and aches and pains.
- Crotamiton lotion or cream put on the spots may ease itching.
- Antihistamine tablets or liquid medicine taken at bedtime may help you to sleep if itch is a problem at night. You can buy these at pharmacies, or get them on prescription.
Antiviral medication is used in special circumstances where chickenpox can be more serious. For example, people who have a poor immune system, newborn babies, and in some cases of chickenpox in pregnant women.
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Michael Calver, about 1 year
Disappointed not to see any points concerning the post varicella treatment and management of abdominal damage - viz: diarrohoea in people of around 60 years old. Thankyou someone.
Report this commentAnnette Short, over 2 years
Hi, I had chicken pox over christmas last year from boxing day onwards. Boy did I suffer. Spots galore and feeling very rough. I've never felt so bad, due to the amount of spots etc that I had, I ended up on anti-viral tabs. I feel that if I hadn't taken them I could've been so much worse. Unfortunately I passed it on to my children too. My one daughter wasn't too bad but my other daughter suffers with excema and asthma so she suffered too, poor thing. Chickenpox is something I don't want again!!!!!
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Emma browne, about 1 year
My daughter has had chicken pox since thursday when will they stop coming out and how long before they start to scab over?can she go back to school on tuesday?
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