Chicken pox's main symptom is the development of an all over body red rash. The rash starts as spots, which later turn into blisters. Usually, the chicken pox virus has an incubation period of between one and three weeks. Because of this, parents (and anyone who has not yet been infected with the virus) should be aware of the many stages of chicken pox so that they can recognize it in time.

Early Symptoms of Chicken Pox:

Sometimes, the symptoms will begin one or two days before the appearance of the rash. At other times, people are completely asymptomatic, even during the blister phase. Some of the common symptoms of early stage chicken pox include:

– Having a fever higher than 38C or 100.4F

– Feeling generally unwell and tired

– Having a headache

– Feeling sick and nauseous

– Losing your appetite

– Having painful, aching muscles

The symptoms, as stated, do not appear in everybody. They are, in fact, more common in adults who develop chicken pox. Young children who get it don't usually develop many symptoms and are often fine other than having the rash.

The Chicken Pox Rash:

The many stages of chicken pox generally refer to the rash. It is incredibly important for everybody to be aware of this, as the disease is highly contagious and can lead to complications, particularly in adults. As such, the many stages of chicken pox are:

Stage 1: The development of spots

Usually, the first spots start to appear on the trunk or the face. They then start to spread to all other body parts, sometimes very rapidly. In some cases, patients only develop a few spots, but in other cases, they may have hundreds of spots on every part of their body. In fact, the spots can even appear on the soles of the feet, the palms of the hands, inside the mouth or ears, or around the genitals.

Stage 2: The development of blisters

Once the red spots have appeared, it will take a few hours for them to turn into blisters. This usually happens overnight. These blisters tend to be incredibly itchy, but they should not be scratched, even if this means having to wear mittens. If scratched, the infection could spread, particularly to other people. Additionally, it is more common for complex complications and infections to occur if the blisters are scratched.

Stage 3: The development of crusts and scabs

The third stage is the final stage, and usually happens a few days after the second stage. Here, the fluid that is seen inside each blister starts to turn cloudy in color and the blisters start to dry out. Once they have dried, they scab over.

Usually, each stage happens for a number of days, and there is often some overlap between them, meaning you could still develop new spots while some have already started to crust. Once every blister has scabbed over, which is usually around a week after the initial start of the rash, the patient is no longer contagious.