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What will happen?
Most children get better from chickenpox without any treatment.

Your child can take acetaminophen for the fever. But don't give aspirin to children under 16. Very rarely, it can cause a dangerous liver and brain condition called Reye's syndrome.

Children with chickenpox usually miss about one week of school.1 But the number of children who get serious health problems because of chickenpox is very small. A study in the UK found that less than 1 in 100,000 children became very sick.2

Chickenpox can be more serious for:3 4 5

  • Adults
  • Babies under 12 months
  • People with a weak immune system (because, for example, they have AIDS or are being treated with chemotherapy)
  • Pregnant women.
Healthy people can sometimes get other problems from chickenpox (called complications), but this doesn't happen very often.6 5

The most common complication is when the rash becomes infected with bacteria. Other rare complications include:

  • Toxic shock syndrome. This is a serious condition that causes a high fever, low blood pressure and other symptoms
  • Loss of balance due to swelling in one part of the brain. This is called cerebellar ataxia
  • Pneumonia. This is an infection in your lungs
  • Losing too much fluid from your body (dehydration)
  • Inflammation in your liver (hepatitis)
  • Inflammation in your brain (encephalitis)
  • Ear infections.4
Most people get chickenpox only once. But the virus that causes chickenpox does not completely leave their body. It stays on in some of their nerves. About 1 in 7 people who have had chickenpox later get a condition known as shingles.

Shingles is caused when the chickenpox virus becomes active again.3 5 You get pain and blisters on one area of your body, such as your chest. This is more likely to happen if you are older, or if you have a problem with your immune system.

People who have a weak immune system can get very severe chickenpox, either the first time they get it or if the virus becomes active again.3

It's worth remembering that you can't travel by plane if you or your child has chickenpox. Most airlines won't let people travel if they have an illness that other people could catch.

What if I'm pregnant?
It's rare for a woman to get chickenpox when pregnant. Most women will be immune because they've had chickenpox before or they've had the chickenpox vaccine.

If you're not sure whether you're immune, it's best to avoid people with chickenpox or shingles until they're better. Someone with chickenpox can pass on the condition until their rash has crusted over.7

If you think you might have come into contact with someone who has chickenpox, and you're not sure whether you've had it, see a doctor right away. You should also see a doctor if you get chickenpox within a week after having your baby.

Your doctor can give you a blood test to find out whether you're immune to chickenpox. If you're not, you can be given a shot of antibodies to try to prevent chickenpox.8 To read more, see What treatments work for chickenpox?

Women who get chickenpox during the last three months of their pregnancy have a slightly higher risk of getting pneumonia as well.3

Will it affect my baby?
Most women who get chickenpox while pregnant have a healthy baby. But if you get chickenpox during the first six months of pregnancy, there's a small risk your baby could get a condition called congenital varicella syndrome. It happens to between 1 in 200 and 4 in 200 babies whose mothers have chickenpox during this time.5

Babies born with congenital varicella syndrome may have:6

  • Muscle weakness in their arms or legs
  • Underdeveloped arms, legs, fingers or toes
  • Brain damage
  • Learning difficulties
  • Eye problems
  • Scarring.
If you get chickenpox late in your pregnancy, especially around the time you have your baby, there's a risk your baby will be born with chickenpox. If this happens, your baby can be given injections of antibodies.8 To read more, see What treatments work for chickenpox?



Sources for the information on this page:
  1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Varicella disease questions & answers. June 2007. Available at http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vpd-vac/varicella/dis-faqs-gen.htm (accessed on 23 July 2008).
  2. Cameron JC, Allan G, Johnston F et al. Severe complications of chickenpox in hospitalised children in the UK and Ireland. Archives of Disease in Childhood. 2007; 92: 1062-1066. Also available at http://adc.bmj.com (accessed on 23 July 2008).
  3. Coole L, Law B, McIntyre P. Vaccines for preventing varicella in children and adults (Cochrane review). In: The Cochrane Library. Update Software, Oxford, UK.
  4. Klassen TP, Hartling L, Wiebe N, et al. Acyclovir for treating varicella in otherwise healthy children and adolescents (Cochrane review). In: The Cochrane Library. Wiley, Chichester, UK.
  5. Jumaan A, Hughes H, Schmid S, et al. Varicella. In: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Manual for the surveillance of vaccine-preventable diseases. 3rd edition. September 2006. Available at http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/pubs/surv-manual/default.htm (accessed on 23 July 2008).
  6. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Varicella disease questions & answers. June 2007. Available at http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vpd-vac/varicella/dis-faqs-gen.htm (accessed on 23 July 2008).
  7. Health Protection Agency. Immunoglobulin handbook. January 2007. Available at http://www.hpa.org.uk/infections/topics_az/immunoglobulin/menu.htm (accessed on 23 July 2008).
  8. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Varicella zoster immune globulin (VZIG): anticipated short supply and alternate product availability under an investigational new drug application expanded access protocol. February 2006. Available at http://www.fda.gov/cber/infosheets/mphvzig092005.htm (accessed on 23 July 2008).
This information was last updated in Aug 01, 2008