Course of chickenpox

The overall duration of chickenpox varies from person to person, but is roughly around 10 days. At the beginning, there can be a 1-2 day period of fever, headache, loss of appetite, sore throat or cough, which is called the prodrome. After the prodromal phase, a generalized rash will appear, initially on the trunk, then gradually spreading to the proximal extremities and the head and face, and some patients may also develop a rash on the mucous membranes of the nose, mouth, and vulva. The rash starts as a red papule and then turns into a herpes. The herpes fluid is initially translucent, with a thin skin, which gradually becomes cloudy and breaks down, then crusts appear, and finally the crusts fall off. For a rash, it usually takes 1-6 days from the time of maculopapular rash to the time of crusting off, and from the whole body, the rash does not appear at the same pace, and multiple forms can be seen at the same time, which is called polymorphic rash. In addition, the infectiousness of chickenpox disappears after the crusts are completely removed, and the entire course of chickenpox is over after all the crusts fall off.