Chicken Pox

**Melissa1983** · 24-09-2005 20:40

Hi Everyone
Just a question, my dd2 might have chicken pox. Does anyone know if it has to go on the stomach to be classed as chicken pox? At the moment she has it all over her bum and some down her legs and arms. The doctors think it is but can't class it as chicken pox until it has reach the stomach! Does anyone know how long the incubation period is? And what are the chances of her sister and 5 month old cousin getting them?

Thanks everyone!

**jembelina** · 25-09-2005 08:13

Got this info from a guide from Sydney's Westmead Children's hospital........

Chicken pox is spread from an infected person via droplets when the person coughs or sneezes, through direct contact, or by touching clothes on which there is fresh discharge from the rash that is characteristic of this infection.

Symptoms and Signs - Initial symptoms are fever, sore throat & headache, followed a few days later by an itchy skin rash, which spreads to the head, arms and legs. Th erash starts out as multiple littel blisters surrounded by pink areas. Over about 5 days, teh blisters burst & develop scabs, which gradually heal. The child is contagious from about 2 days before the rash appears until all the blisters form scabs (which usually takes up to seven days).

Treatment - In most cases, chicken pox does not need treatment and clears up by itself. The rash may leave faint marks, which will fade over time.

So, sounds like it doesn't need to be on her tummy - it might be helpful to get a second opinion. Hope this helps and your little one gets better soon

Ky · 25-09-2005 11:17

Both of my kids had chicken poc not long after we moved to Australia ... Dan was 6mths and Bella 2. Neither of them had more than 8 spots, none on thier stomachs ... but it was definitley chicken pox. Because it was such a mild case I doubted that they truely were, but my doc said that there was no doubt as the spots were consistent with it and that you can get chickenpox and only have one spot!

Since then, we have dealt with rubella, hand foot and mouth, bronchiolitis, croup and rotavirus ... I am hoping that we have had our run! We shifted to Sydney (now in Bomaderry) from a small country town in NZ where my kids had hardly any contact with other children, so I guess we had to catch a few things when we moved into a crowded apartment building!