How is chicken pox spread from person to person?
The chicken pox virus spreads easily through the air or through contact with the fluid in a chicken pox blister. People can get chicken pox one to two days before any rash shows on the sick person. Usually symptoms appear 14 to 16 days after you have been exposed to the chicken pox virus. But symptoms may start as soon as 10 days or as late as 21 days after your child has been in contact with someone infected with chicken pox. The infectious period lasts until the last blister has crusted or five days after the rash starts, whichever time is shorter. This means your child can give the virus to another child during this time. Top What if I m pregnant? Adults can develop severe chicken pox, especially pregnant women. There are two important times where it can cause problems for pregnant women. • Chicken pox in the first 20 weeks of pregnancy can cause severe damage to the fetus. But this occurs in less than three per cent of pregnant women who have chicken pox at this time. • If a woman