Chickenpox: symptoms and causes

Chickenpox is a common infection that spreads easily and mostly affects children. It usually gets better on its own after 1 to 2 weeks without needing to see a GP, but can be serious in some people.

Symptoms of chickenpox

The main symptom of chickenpox is an itchy, spotty rash. It can be anywhere on the body.

Before or after the rash appears, you might also have:

a high temperature
aches and pains, and generally feel unwell
loss of appetite

Chickenpox happens in 3 stages, but new spots can appear while others are becoming blisters or forming a scab.

Stage 1: small spots appear

The spots can:

be anywhere on the body, including inside the mouth and around the genitals, which can be painful
spread or stay in a small area
be red, pink, darker or the same colour as surrounding skin, depending on your skin tone
be harder to see on brown and black skin

1: White skin with stage 1 of the chickenpox rash (thumbnail). 1
2: Light-brown skin with stage 1 of chickenpox (thumbnail). 2
3: Light-brown skin with stage 1 of the chickenpox rash (thumbnail). 3

Stage 2: the spots become blisters

The spots fill with fluid and become blisters. The blisters are very itchy and may burst.

1: White skin with stage 2 of the chickenpox rash (thumbnail). 1
2: Medium-brown skin with stage 2 of the chickenpox rash (thumbnail). 2
3: Medium-brown skin with stage 2 of the chickenpox rash (thumbnail). 3
4: Dark-brown skin with stage 2 of the chickenpox rash (thumbnail). 4

Stage 3: the blisters become scabs

The spots form a scab. Some scabs are flaky, while others leak fluid.

1: White skin with stage 3 of the chickenpox rash (thumbnail). 1
2: Light-brown skin with stage 3 of the chickenpox rash (thumbnail). 2
3: Medium-brown skin with stage 3 of the chickenpox rash (thumbnail). 3

If you're not sure it's chickenpox

Check other rashes in children

How you can treat chickenpox yourself

If you have chickenpox, you'll need to stay off school, nursery or work until all the spots have formed a scab. This is usually 5 days after the spots first appeared.

There are things you can do to treat chickenpox yourself at home without needing to see a GP.

Do

drink plenty of fluids (try ice lollies if your child is not drinking)
take paracetamol to help with any pain and discomfort
cut your child's fingernails and put socks on their hands at night to stop them scratching
use cooling creams or gels from a pharmacy
speak to a pharmacist about using antihistamine medicine to help itching
bathe in cool water and pat the skin dry (do not rub)
dress in loose clothes

Don’t

do not use ibuprofen unless you're told to by a doctor, as it may cause serious skin infections
do not give aspirin to children under 16 years
do not scratch the spots, as scratching can cause scarring

Important

Do not go near newborn babies or anyone who's pregnant or has a weakened immune system, as chickenpox can be dangerous for them.

See a GP if:

you're not sure it's chickenpox
you're concerned about yourself or your child

Tell the receptionist you think it might be chickenpox before going in to a GP surgery.

How chickenpox is spread

You can spread chickenpox to other people from 2 days before your spots appear until they have all formed scabs, which is usually 5 days after your spots appeared.

The spots start appearing around 1 to 3 weeks after you caught chickenpox.

You can catch chickenpox from:

being in the same room as someone with it
touching things that have fluid from the blisters on them
someone who has shingles if you have not had chickenpox before (but you cannot catch shingles from someone who has chickenpox)

The chickenpox vaccine

For example, a child can be vaccinated if one of their parents is having chemotherapy.

You can also pay for the vaccine at some private clinics or travel clinics. It costs between £120 and £200.

Chickenpox