Understand how the Chickenpox virus spreads. The virus is highly contagious and spreads in the air through airborne particles that come from the lesions on the skin or from the upper respiratory tract. You can also contract the virus from contact with open lesions when you touch your face, nose, or mouth.
The disease takes 10 to 21 days after exposure to develop.
From studies of transmission across household members, approximately 90% of people with close contact with infected individuals will develop the disease.
The person with varicella is contagious from one to two days before the rash breaks out on the skin and will continue to be contagious until ALL the lesions have crusted over.
Some people who get vaccinated may suffer from breakthrough varicella, which is a mild form of the chickenpox that includes a rash of less than 50 lesions and a slight fever. These individuals are also contagious. However, those with breakthrough varicella are only one third as contagious as those who were not vaccinated.
Protect yourself from droplet transmission. Take precautions when caring for an individual with chickenpox to reduce the risk of droplet infection. The varicella zoster virus is spread through droplet transmission or from direct contact with the individual or touching objects or clothing that were in contact with the infected individual. Droplets may come from a sneeze, cough, speaking, nasal secretions, and saliva.
Wear a facemask to prevent secretions from entering your mouth and nose. A facemask should always be worn before being in the same room with the patient and a new mask should be used each time you wear one.
Wear gloves, a gown, and goggles or a face mask if the individual is sneezing, coughing, or producing a lot of nasal secretions. Droplets from a sneeze can travel through the air for up to 200 feet, so it is crucial to protect yourself
Wash your hands before and after touching the patient. You should make sure that you wash your hands before and after touching the patient or after having any contact with the objects, materials, or secretions of the patient. Use soap and warm water to wash your hands.
Lather your hands with soap and warm water for at least 20 seconds.
Be sure to scrub the backs of your hands, between your fingers, and under your nails.
If you need a timer for 20 seconds then hum “Happy Birthday” to yourself twice.
Rinse your hands well under warm water and pat dry with a clean towel or use hot air to dry them.
Keep the patient confined to one room to reduce the chance that the virus will spread. The patient’s bedroom is often the best room. If possible, have the patient use only one of the bathrooms in the home and be sure that no other person in the home uses that bathroom.
Have the patient put on a mask when he or she leaves the bedroom to go to the bathroom. Any sneezing or coughing while out of the room may also spread the virus.
Use contact precautions for extra protection. Contact precautions include wearing a gown and gloves for any physical contact with the individual or other inanimate objects that may have had contact with the patient.
When changing the bed sheets, entering the room, touching the patient, or handling any other objects, make sure that you are wearing goggles, gloves, and a gown.
