Vaccines and Preventable Diseases:
Varicella Treatment Questions & Answers
What home treatments are available for chickenpox?
Parents can do several things at home to help relieve their child’s chickenpox symptoms. Because scratching the blisters may cause them to become infected, keep your child’s fingernails trimmed short. Calamine lotion and Aveeno® (oatmeal) baths may help relieve some of the itching. Do not use aspirin or aspirin-containing products to relieve your child's fever. The use of aspirin in children with chickenpox has been associated with development of Reye’s syndrome (a severe disease affecting all organs, but most seriously affecting the liver and brain, that may cause death). Use non-aspirin medications such as acetaminophen (e.g., Tylenol®).
Are there any treatments that my doctor can prescribe for chickenpox?
Your health-care provider will advise you on treatment options. Acyclovir, famcyclovir, or valacyclovir (medicines that work against herpesviruses) are recommended for persons who are more likely to develop serious disease, including persons with chronic skin or lung disease, otherwise healthy individuals 13 years of age or older, and persons receiving steroid therapy. However, only acyclovir is currently licensed for use in treating varicella.
Persons whose immune systems have been weakened from disease or medication should contact their doctor immediately if they are exposed to or develop chickenpox. If you are pregnant and are either exposed to or develop chickenpox, you should immediately discuss prevention and treatment options with your doctor.
When is it necessary to go to the doctor for treatment for chickenpox?
If you or your child has a fever that lasts longer than 4 days or rises above 102ºF, call your health-care provider. Also if any areas of the rash or any part of the body become very red, warm, or tender, or begin leaking pus (thick, discolored fluid), call your health-care provider since these symptoms may indicate a bacterial infection. Call your doctor immediately if the individual with chickenpox seems extremely ill, is difficult to wake up or appears confused, has difficulty walking, has a stiff neck, is vomiting repeatedly, has difficulty breathing, or has a severe cough.
Is there any preventive treatment available after exposure to chickenpox for susceptible persons who are not eligible to receive chickenpox vaccine?
Yes, varicella zoster immune globulin (VZIG) can prevent or modify disease after exposure to someone with chickenpox. However, because it is costly and only provides temporary protection, VZIG is only recommended for persons at high risk of developing severe disease who are not eligible to receive chickenpox vaccine. These individuals include:
- Newborns whose mothers have chickenpox 5 days prior to 2 days after delivery
- Premature babies exposed to varicella in the first month of life
- Children with leukemia or lymphoma who have not been vaccinated
- Persons with cellular immunodeficiencies or other immune system problems
- Persons receiving medications, such as high-dose systemic steroids, that suppress the immune system
- Women who are pregnant
VZIG should be administered as soon as possible, but no later than 96 hours, after exposure to chickenpox. If you have had a varicella exposure and you fit into one of these groups, contact your doctor.
The only U.S.-licensed manufacturer of VZIG discontinued production of VZIG in 2006. However, a similar product, VariZIG™ (Cangene Corporation, Winnipeg, Canada), became available under an investigational new drug application (IND) submitted to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in February 2006. Doctors in the U.S. can now request VariZIG from the sole authorized U.S. distributor, FFF Enterprises (Temecula, California), for their patients who have been exposed to varicella and who are at increased risk for severe disease and complications.
www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm55e224a1.htm
Return to main Varicella Vaccination page
Content last reviewed on May 11, 2007
Content Source: National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases