If you’re a parent you know the feeling when you get a letter from your child’s school or the group forum that someone in the class has chickenpox. It’s a common virus that easily spreads among children as well as adults if they don’t have immunity. At our travel clinic, we have a wide range of vaccines in Vancouver, including the chickenpox vaccine.
There is, however, a way to protect yourself and your child: with the chickenpox vaccine. Let’s take a look at what chickenpox is, what the symptoms are and everything you need to know about the vaccine before going forward.
What is chickenpox and what are the most common symptoms?
According to canada.ca, “Varicella, also known as chickenpox, is a very common and highly infectious childhood disease that is found worldwide. Symptoms appear 10 to 21 days after infection and last about 2 weeks. The defining symptom is a characteristic blister-like rash, which can cause severe irritation. Varicella is a generalized viral disease caused by the varicella-zoster virus (VZV), a DNA virus of the herpesvirus family.”
What are the symptoms?
The first symptom is usually a slight fever, followed by some other mild symptoms like headache, runny nose and fatigue.
- Fever
- Loss of appetite
- Headache
- Malaise (feeling unwell and tired)
The chickenpox rash goes through three stages:
- Pink or red bumps that break out over the course of a few days
- Blisters filled with fluid that begin to form, break, leak and crust over
- Crusts and scabs that cover the broken blisters and take a few more days to heal over
How do you catch chickenpox?
You can catch it by being in the same room with someone who is infected, as well as by being in contact with that person’s clothing, bedding, towels or any other textiles they may have worn. If you’ve never had this virus before, you can also catch it from someone who has shingles. Shingles is also a varicella-zoster virus.
Should you or your child get vaccinated?
Vaccination against chickenpox, just like other types of vaccinations is a personal choice. Because it takes between 1-3 weeks from exposure for the first spots to appear, and another 5 days for the spots to crust over, it can really put your holiday plans on hold. Most airlines and even long-haul buses won’t allow you to travel if you have chickenpox. In addition, your child will have to stay home from school, which would then either require a caregiver or you taking time off work. This can put a big hold on your life.
Since adults can have a severe experience if infected (and if they’ve never had it before), it’s a good preventative method to get vaccinated.
If you need help, our travel clinic has a wide range of vaccines in Vancouver, all for a low cost for children and adults. To get started, please get in touch with us.
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