A fever, sore throat, deficiency of physical activity and loss of appetite are all symptoms indicating that you or your child may have contracted chicken pox; and prevention may be too late. Your chickenpox suspicions will be confirmed by day 2 when you'll experience an itchy rash consisting of small clusters of blisters. These skin lesions will continue to cover the epidermal, or the outer layer of skin, of your face, chest, arms, legs, back and buttocks. The duration of this rash is different for everyone; it'll also depend on the severity of this disease. You can expect these blisters to eventually rupture after about 4 days. In most cases, scabs will form by day 6 but will not detach for another week or two.

Calamine lotion and oatmeal baths may alleviate some of the itching. These treatments can aid in scratching prevention which can contribute to skin infection. It's a good idea to trim down the fingernails and keep the surface beneath the nail cleansed to reduce the risk of hidden bacteria which can cause infection. 

Contracting Chickenpox and/or Shingles

Chicken pox is originated by a herpes virus known as the varicella zoster virus (VZV) and is quite common in children; while shingles is more familiar in adults who have previously been infected by chickenpox. Herpes zoster, better known as shingles, is an infectious agent that can come along after an occurrence of chickenpox has run its course. Varicella zoster can become inactive within the nerve cells of the body causing shingles to flair up years later, even decades—and the symptoms are quite different. Shingles will bring painful blisters to only one side of the body in a striped fashion, lasting 2 to 4 weeks.

Preventing Chickenpox

Chickenpox and rubella (German measles) are examples of common childhood infections that are usually uncomfortable but not too serious. Chickenpox is often harmless; however, in some cases complications can occur. Although rare, chickenpox can lead to serious health issues (especially in adults), even death. Since prevention is safe and can avoid or lesson your chances of obtaining chickenpox in the first place, it's best to vaccinate as the varicella vaccination is your best defense mechanism; and can be given to children as young as 12 months. It's never too late to receive the allotted 2-dose requirement as long as you're given a clean bill of health by your physician. Don't obtain the vaccination in such cases as allergies to gelatin or the antibiotic neomycin, while pregnant, or a weak immune system due to the HIV virus.

If you opt for the vaccination shots, there's still a rare possibility that you can get pox at some point in your life; however, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 75-90 percent of all people who incur the vaccine are entirely invulnerable from the pox virus. For those who are ineffective in acquiring full protection, the illness is frequently a much more moderate case of pox including the absence of a high temperature.