All about Chickenpox

• 90% of New Zealand children are likely to get chickenpox before they become teenagers¹
• That’s around 50,000 cases of chickenpox each year¹
• Up to 280 otherwise healthy children in NZ each year will end up in hospital due to complications from chickenpox¹
• 1-2 cases per year will result in a long-term disability or even death¹

To help prevent chickenpox
Vaccinate with Varilrix from 9 months ⁸

Chickenpox is a virus, also called the varicella virus, which is spread by breathing in droplets from an infected person when they cough or sneeze, or from touching fluid from a chickenpox blister¹

Here is how chickenpox typically happens for many children:^1,2

• A child can be infected for 2-3 weeks before showing any symptoms¹
• Chickenpox can start with a fever and a headache^1,2
• In some cases there are no symptoms at all before an itchy red rash starts to appear^1,2
• The rash usually starts on the face and head before spreading to other parts of the body, in some cases the mouth, ears and vagina^1,2
• The rash will turn into fluid filled blisters^1,2
• There will be 250-500 blisters on average which can develop all over the body^3,4
• It usually takes about 7 days for the blisters to completely dry up¹
• About 20% of children are left with some scars, most often on the face and trunk³
• Children should be kept at home and away from their friends, daycare or school for at least 1 week from when the rash appears and until all the blisters crust over¹

Some kids get through chickenpox with just a few spots, while others can have a terrible time with hundreds of itchy spots. For most children, it is mild and they recover completely.⁴ A small number of children experience severe chickenpox with complications, which require going to hospital.¹

To help prevent chickenpox
Vaccinate with Varilrix from 9 months ⁸

There is no cure for chickenpox once you have it but there are things you can do to help alleviate the symptoms^4,5,6,7

• Bathe in a cool or lukewarm bath. Try adding ½ a cup of baking soda to the bathwater to help soothe itchy skin
• Apply a lotion such as calamine to ease the itching or ask your doctor or pharmacist to recommend a product
• Give paracetamol to reduce the fever and headache – NB: Aspirin should NOT be given to someone with chickenpox¹
• Keep your child hydrated with little amounts of fluids often. They may not feel like eating much but make sure you keep their fluid intake up
• Cut your child’s fingernails short and keep them clean to reduce damage done by scratching

If you know someone who has chickenpox, remember that they remain contagious until all of the blisters have dried up and so need to be kept at home.¹

If you or your child has been exposed to someone with chickenpox, getting vaccinated up to 72 hours after exposure can help prevent chickenpox or at least make the illness milder⁸

To help prevent chickenpox
Vaccinate with Varilrix from 9 months ⁸

Chickenpox can cause a lot of disruption to families.

A child who becomes infected with chickenpox can then pass it on to other family members, before they even begin to show symptoms themselves. So as one family member recovers, another comes down with it, causing weeks of illness in a household.¹

Those in your family who get chickenpox second are also more likely to get it worse than the first person.²

It can be stressful caring for a child and then potentially their siblings because they are kept home and away from friends, daycares and schools.

For working parents, extra time away from work and unpaid leave can add further stress.

Immunisation can help prevent chickenpox.¹ For more information, have a chat with your doctor or nurse about the chickenpox vaccine. A great time to discuss varicella vaccination is at your child’s 5 month immunisation visit, or anytime from when your child turns 9 months old to ensure your child is protected as early as possible.

To help prevent chickenpox
Vaccinate with Varilrix from 9 months ⁸