INFORMATION FOR PARENTS: For most children, chickenpox is a mild illness. With a little care to prevent scratching and secondary infection, the symptoms usually subside in a week. Before long all signs of illness generally disappear.

WHAT IS CHICKENPOX? Chickenpox is a highly contagious disease caused by a virus. Primarily an illness of childhood, it is most common in children five to nine years of age, but can occur at any age and generally occurs in winter and early spring. Symptoms begin to appear 10 - 21 days after exposure to someone who has the disease. Having chickenpox once usually makes the child immune to it: it is very rare for someone to acquire the disease more than once.

WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS? The most prominent symptom usually is a rash, which begins as red spots about the size of pinheads, usually starting in patches on the chest and back and then spreads to other parts of the body. Within a few hours, the spots become larger and form small blisters filled with liquid. After about a day and a half, a crust or scab forms on the blisters. Then a new batch of eruptions begins to form in another place on the body. In most cases there are three or four eruptions, with about a day between each set. The scabs peel off and disappear over the next 5 to 20 days, depending on how deeply the skin is affected. The rash is usually accompanied by itching, which at times can be intense.

Other symptoms may include mild fever, headache, backache, sore throat, and loss of appetite. Sometimes these symptoms appear the day before the rash, sometimes with the rash, and sometimes they don't appear at all.

SHOULD YOUR CHILD BE ISOLATED? Chickenpox is highly contagious from one day before the rash appears until no new lesions have appeared for 24 to 48 hours, and all spots are scabbed or crusted over (about 6 days later). The virus is spread by respiratory droplets or by direct contact with pustule fluid. Your child should be kept out of school and away from other susceptible children during this time. Your child may return to school when free of temperature and no moist lesions are present. Moist lesions signify that the child is still a carrier of the virus.

WHAT CAN YOU DO? Although there is no specific treatment for chickenpox, there are steps you can take to make your child more comfortable and to protect him against more serious problems while the illness runs its course. Encourage rest, plenty of fluids and the use of itch relief remedies. Stress light activities (coloring, puzzles, etc.) suited to the child's age.

DO WHAT THE DOCTOR SAYS: If the doctor prescribes medicine or other measures, be sure you understand and follow his instructions. Give no ASPIRIN products.

AVOID SCRATCHING. Scratching the rash can lead to SECONDARY INFECTIONS. Instruct the child not to scratch. The child's hands should be washed frequently and his fingernails kept trimmed and clean.