Symptoms of chickenpox

The emergence of chickenpox can start with symptoms such as mild nausea, headaches, drowsiness and sometimes fever or inflammation of the throat. Small red spots on the skin quickly develop turning into vesicles that contain a clear fluid. Often the spots first appears on the torso after which they usually spread to the head and neck.

Chickenpox can spread all over the body appearing on the scalp, inside the mouth and on the eyelids and genitals. In children who have skin disorders such as eczema, the number of chickenpox is often higher. Characteristic of chickenpox is that the vesicles itch violently.

It is important not to scratch in order to prevent severe inflammation and scarring.

After a few days the vesicles will dry up, resulting in scabs that are no longer contagious. The scabs will fall off the skin spontaneously, sometimes leaving a shallow well behind. Once the scabs have fallen off, the illness has run its course. The course of chickenpox runs about ten days. After healing, immunity against the virus has been built up, which prevents a new contamination. However, it may occur that a person with a highly reduced resistance becomes re-infected and contracts chickenpox again.

It is also possible that the virus causes shingles later in life, due to the virus still being present in the body.

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