When is chickenpox most contagious?

This is an automatically translated article.

1. How is chickenpox transmitted?

Chickenpox is a very common disease in both children and adults. This disease is caused by the Varicella Zoster virus, which forms blister-like lesions on the skin. The disease can be easily transmitted from person to person through many routes. So how is chickenpox spread?
Varicella Zoster virus can be transmitted through the respiratory tract such as: talking, sneezing, coughing. The virus will go through the saliva or nasal discharge of an infected person to the air, if a healthy person breathes it in, there is a high risk of infection. The disease spreads quickly, so it is easy to become an epidemic.

2. Developmental stages of chickenpox

To know when chickenpox is most contagious and prevent it, you need to first understand how the disease progresses. Chickenpox has 3 stages of development:

State 1

At this stage, the patient will have symptoms such as high fever, fatigue, loss of appetite, sore throat. About 10-15 days later, the patient will appear lymph nodes behind the ear with a very high fever.

Phase 2

In stage 2, the patient's skin will appear red red spots, about 1-2 days, they will turn into pustules, with blisters. The blisters will spread very quickly throughout the body, the blisters are clear, very burning, when broken, the water is cloudy and scabs.
This is the most uncomfortable stage of chickenpox, the patient will have an itchy, uncomfortable feeling. If you scratch and cause the blisters to burst, the blisters will grow more and spread to other areas of the body. These nodules will scab over and scar from chickenpox. This is also the period when the patient is susceptible to dangerous complications if the body does not have a good resistance and proper treatment.

Stage 3

At this stage, the broken blisters will crust over. If the patient has no complications, the body will recover very quickly. After 1 to 2 weeks, the patient will be able to recover, the sore throat will be gone, the body will be less tired and the fever will be reduced. The blisters will scab and quickly peel off to form a scar.

3. When is chickenpox most contagious?

To prevent chickenpox from spreading into an epidemic, you need to proactively prevent it at the contagious stages. So at what stage is chickenpox contagious? Any stage of the disease is very contagious. Specifically:

Chickenpox is spread by casual contact

The blisters contain the chickenpox virus, so when the blisters burst, it can easily pass on to others or spread to uninfected skin. Therefore, the patient as well as the people around should not touch the blisters. When applying medicine, it is necessary to use a cotton swab to avoid infecting others through hand-to-hand contact.
Patients need to keep their daily living items and utensils separate until they are cured. Healthy people absolutely do not share items with sick people because the fluid from the blisters can seep into personal items, clothes and easily spread to others.

Chickenpox is spread through the respiratory tract

One of the ways chickenpox spreads rapidly is through the respiratory tract. The saliva of an infected person contains the virus that causes the disease. Therefore, when they cough, sneeze, have a runny nose, droplets of saliva are easy to shoot into the air, when people often inhale or come into contact with them, there is a high risk of infection, especially when treating chickenpox for children. children . In the process of taking care of the sick, you should wear a medical mask and let the sick person live in isolated conditions until they recover from the illness.

Chickenpox spreads even when the blisters crust over

When the blisters have scabbed, the patient and those around him are often very subjective, thinking that the disease cannot be spread. It is because of this subjectivity that many healthy people who have been infected by the virus from the rash have not yet died completely, when they meet favorable conditions such as the body's poor resistance, they will immediately develop the disease. spread throughout the body.

Young children are the most common cause of chickenpox transmission

Children have less resistance than adults, so the risk of chickenpox is higher. And it is also young children that are the most common cause of chickenpox transmission. The reason is that young children are hyperactive subjects, often in contact with people around without restraint. Moreover, adults often hug and kiss children, so the risk of infection is higher.
Chickenpox if not treated promptly will cause many dangerous complications such as: encephalitis, pneumonia, acute glomerulonephritis, kidney failure, meningitis, laryngitis, otitis media, especially women pregnant female. During pregnancy, if the mother has chickenpox, the chance of the baby having birth defects is very high. The most effective prevention of chickenpox is complete vaccination.
Vinmec International General Hospital currently provides varicella vaccination services. The advantages of vaccination at Vinmec include:
Customers will be fully examined and screened for physical and health problems, advice on preventive vaccines and injection regimens, how to follow Monitor and care for children after vaccination before giving the indication for vaccination according to the latest recommendations of the Ministry of Health & World Health Organization to ensure the best effectiveness and safety. A team of experienced and professional pediatric doctors and nurses, understand children's psychology and apply effective pain relief methods for children during the vaccination process. 100% of vaccinated children were monitored for 30 minutes after vaccination and reassessed before leaving. Underwent general supervision before, during and after vaccination at Vinmec Health System and always have an emergency team ready to coordinate with the vaccination department to handle cases of anaphylaxis, respiratory failure - circulatory arrest, ensuring Ensure timely and correct handling when incidents occur. The vaccination room is airy, with a play area, helping children feel comfortable as if they are walking and have a good mentality before and after vaccination. Vaccines are imported and stored in a modern cold storage system, with a cold chain that meets GSP standards, keeping vaccines in the best conditions to ensure quality. Customers will receive a reminder message before the injection date and the vaccination information is synchronized with the national vaccination information system. To register for vaccination, please directly contact the hotline of Vinmec International General Hospital System nationwide or book an appointment HERE.
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