Chickenpox symptoms

Symptoms of • Body aches • Fever • Feeling extremely tired ( • Feeling irritable • Loss of appetite • Within a day or 2, you’ll develop the telltale chickenpox rash. It unfolds in three phases. During the first phase, you’ll develop itchy, raised, pink or red bumps. Doctors call these “papules.” As many as 250 to 500 of them can pop up all over your body. In severe cases, they can even form in your mouth, eyes, anus, or genitals. Over the next several days, these bumps will turn into small, fluid-filled blisters called “vesicles.” They last about a day before they pop and start to leak. Finally, these open wounds crust over and turn into scabs. As they heal, new bumps continue to appear. You could have bumps, blisters, and scabs at the same time. You can spread the virus to other people until all the spots crust over. Most cases of chickenpox are mild and go away on their own. But see your doctor right away if you develop any of the following symptoms: • The rash gets close to or spreads to one or both eyes • The rash gets very red, warm, or tender. You could have a bacterial • • Shortness of breath • • Stiff neck • You can’t control your muscles • Fever over 102 F • Dehydration

In some people, particularly adults, the non-rash symptoms will appear before the rash does. In kids, the rash is often the first sign of chickenpox. Non-Rash Symptoms Most non-rash symptoms last for a day or two, then disappear as the rash develops. These are often non-specific and easily mistaken for things like flu. If you come down with chickenpox, you'll need to stay home from school, work, and other activities to avoid spreading the virus. This is true even if you're feeling fine otherwise. Chickenpox Rash The chickenpox rash usually appears first on the torso, scalp, and face, and then spreads to the arms and legs. Once crusting has occurred, the chickenpox rash is no longer contagious. However, as old lesions crust over and fall away, new ones continue to form. Because of this, you are considered contagious until all lesions have healed and no new ones have appeared. Less Common Symptoms of Chickenpox Less commonly, the chickenpox rash can cause lesions on Approximately one in every 400 adults who get chickenpox will be hospitalized as a result of this varicella pneumonia. Shingles After a person is infected with chickenpox, VZV is not completely eliminated from the body. Instead, it embeds itself in clusters of nerve cells called ganglia, where it remainsdormant (inactive). • Lesions that become increasingly larger and more painful • Lesions that turn into ulcers or have a pus-like discharge • High fever with chills • Lymph nodes in the neck that are tender to the...