Adult exposure to chicken pox

Cool clothing If your child has a fever, or if their skin is sore and aggravated, dress them appropriately so that they don't get too hot or too cold. Shingles, also known as zoster or herpes zoster, is a painful skin rash caused by the same virus responsible for chicken pox: the varicella zoster virus. How can chickenpox be treated? Chickenpox occurs in approximately three in every 1, pregnancies. Painkillers If your child is in pain or has a fever high temperature , you can give them a mild painkiller, such as paracetamol. Shingles can occur at any age but is most common in adults over 60 years of age. Serious complications, although rare, can occur mainly in infants, adolescents, adults and persons with a weakened immune system.

These are soon followed by an itchy blister-like rash. After another few days, the fluid becomes cloudy, the blisters break, and a crust or scab forms while the skin heals. Contact your GP if you have chickenpox and are breastfeeding. Important You'll need to stay away from school, nursery or work until all the spots have crusted over. However, because chickenpox tends to be mild in healthy children, most physicians do not feel that it is necessary to prescribe acyclovir. Chickenpox Vaccine Safety Chickenpox vaccine is very safe.

Additionally, there is a risk of serious disease in the new-born baby if the mother contracts chickenpox between the fifth day before delivery and the second day after the baby is born. At any one time, the lesions of the rash vary in stages of development. Shingles is a painful viral skin rash that usually appears on one side of your waist, but can affect your chest, back, legs or face. Chickenpox vaccination is recommended for all infants at 18 months of age. Chickenpox is most infectious from one to two days before the rash starts, until all the blisters have crusted over usually five to six days after the start of the rash.

Reye Syndrome is an unusual complication of chickenpox that is linked to children who take aspirin or aspirin-containing products during the illness. This information should not be used as a substitute for the medical care and advice of your physician. Shingles is very contagious. It's rare to get chickenpox when you're pregnant, and the chance of it causing complications is low. It is possible to catch chickenpox from someone with shingles, but not the other way around. Go to our Medical Library Index Page to find information on other medical conditions.