Symptoms of Chickenpox

Symptoms usually occur 10-21 days after contact with the chickenpox virus. Initial symptoms include:

• Headache
• Fever
• General feeling of malaise
• Loss of appetite

Within 1-2 days after the initial symptoms, a rash develops. Characteristics of the rash include:

• At first, the rash consists of small, flat, red spots.
• The spots become raised and form clusters of round, itchy, fluid-filled blisters on a red base.
• The blisters develop in clusters, with new clusters forming over 5-6 days.
• Once the rash develops, there is usually a variety of spots visible: flat red areas, blisters with clear fluid, blisters with cloudy fluid, and open blisters. This variety helps doctors to be confident that the rash is due to chickenpox.
• The rash usually develops on the skin above the waist, including the scalp. Exposed areas are often most significantly affected.
• The rash may sometimes appear on the inside of the eyelids, in the mouth, nose, throat, upper airway, voice box, rectum, or vagina.
• In healthy children, the rash usually crusts over by day 6-7. The crusts are gone within three weeks, usually without scarring. Note: Adults or patients who are immunocompromised may have more severe cases that last longer.

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Revision Information

• Reviewer: Michael Woods, MD
• Review Date: 10/2012 -
• Update Date: 10/11/2012 -