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Chickenpox - Management
How should I manage an otherwise healthy person with chickenpox?
- Offer symptomatic treatment.
- For immunocompetent adults and adolescents (aged 14 years or older), consider prescribing aciclovir if they present within 24 hours of rash onset, particularly for people with severe chickenpox or those at risk of complications, such as smokers or people using corticosteroids.
- For children, aciclovir is not recommended.
- Give advice about contact with other people and when to seek medical advice.
- If serious complications (such as pneumonia, encephalitis, or dehydration) are suspected, admit to hospital.
- If the person develops a high temperature (particularly after initial improvement) with redness and pain surrounding the chickenpox lesions, consider bacterial superinfection and manage accordingly.
- This may be more common in people with eczema.
In depth
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