Generality
Varicella incubation time is defined as the period between the contraction of the infection and the onset of symptoms.
Chickenpox is a highly contagious infectious viral disease that causes a characteristic rash ( exanthema ). The infection that leads to the disease in question develops inside the patient slowly and initially asymptomatically. What makes this disease particularly subtle is the fact that the affected individual begins to be contagious already during the last days of incubation, when there are still no obvious symptoms.
Definition
What is Varicella Incubation Time?
It is defined as "incubation time of chicken pox" - or incubation period, if you prefer - that time lapse between the entry of the virus into the organism and the appearance of the first symptoms of the disease.
The incubation time of chickenpox has a variable duration from 10 to 20 days, but the average duration is around 14-16 days, indicatively, two weeks. In light of the above, therefore, it is possible to state that the incubation period for varicella is not the same in each patient, but there is a certain degree of variability .
Brief Review: what is Vericella?
Chickenpox is a highly contagious infectious disease caused by an infection caused by the varicella-zoster virus ( VZV ).
Generally, it is a benign disease with a good prognosis, since it tends to resolve spontaneously without causing major problems for the patient.
Chickenpox is considered typical of childhood, however, this does not mean that it cannot affect adults too. In fact, although not frequently, the contraction of chicken pox in adulthood is an occurrence that can occur. In this regard, we recall that, when it affects adults, the disease tends to manifest itself with a greater degree of aggression than infants.
Incubation and Contagion
Chickenpox Incubation Period and Contagion Mode
As mentioned, the incubation time of chicken pox is around 15 days on average, with some variability from one individual to another. During this period of time, the patient does not manifest any symptoms, however, he begins to be contagious already at the end of this period, in the two or three days preceding the onset of symptoms.
In this phase, the infection takes place by air through the droplets of saliva emitted into the external environment through coughing, sneezing or simply speaking.
At the same time, the infection can occur even when the symptomatology of the disease has already manifested itself. In detail, the infection can be transmitted through contact with the liquid that comes out of the skin blisters that appear at the end of the incubation period and the prodromal phase (see the "Symptoms" chapter).
Of course, vaccinated individuals and people who have already had chickenpox in their lifetime are immune to the disease and are not at risk of catching the infection.
The spaevi that ...
From 2017, for those born in the same year and for the following ones, the vaccination against varicella - at first optional - has become mandatory .
For more information about other mandatory vaccinations for children, see also: Vaccines in Children.
What happens
What happens during the Varicella Incubation Period?
During the incubation period of the chicken pox, the virus responsible for the disease invades the patient's organism and begins to replicate itself to then trigger the infection.
In most cases, varicella zoster virus enters the body via the airways. In such circumstances, the initial replication occurs at the level of the mucous membranes of the upper respiratory tract . Then the virus enters the bloodstream, spreading throughout the body and continuing to replicate.
After the incubation period of about 15 days, the VZV reaches the skin giving rise to the typical rash that characterizes chickenpox.
Symptoms
What Symptoms Occur During and After Incubation Time?
During the incubation time, the patient does not manifest any type of symptom, even if the virus has already begun replication within the body. At the end of the incubation period of chickenpox, instead, the so-called prodromal phase begins, lasting about 24-48 hours and characterized by fever, fatigue, loss of appetite, slight cough and general malaise.
Once the prodromal phase is over, the cutaneous manifestation characterizing the disease in question occurs. It is an eruption that involves the whole body (including the face) composed of red patches, first flat and then in relief. In a very short time, the patches turn into vesicles that cause a strong itching, sometimes unbearable.
To learn more: Varicella Symptoms »Importance of Incubation Time
Because it is important to know the Incubation Time of Varicella
Knowledge of the incubation time of chicken pox and what happens during this period is useful to understand with what mechanism the virus is able to give rise to the disease or to any complications. Furthermore, knowing the incubation time of chicken pox and the way in which the infection occurs is useful for preventing or at least trying to control the spread of infection.
Non-immune individuals who came into contact with patients who developed chickenpox - both before and after the onset of symptoms - have a high probability (but not absolute certainty) that they were also infected by the virus. In such a situation, it would be good to avoid - or at least try to limit as much as possible - the close contact with people who are particularly exposed to the risk of contracting the disease and getting complications, such as immunocompromised patients, pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers and newborns (for more information, see also "Chickenpox: Care and Vaccination"). In fact, as we have seen, the patients who develop the infection begin to be contagious long before the appearance of the cutaneous manifestations that characterize the disease (immediately after the end of the incubation period of the varicella and during the prodromal phase).
On the other hand, when there is no reasonable suspicion of having contracted the infection - since the incubation period of the chickenpox does not lead to the appearance of any symptoms and since the symptom of the prodromal phase is decidedly non-specific - it is very difficult to be able to implement any preventive strategy in order to avoid contagion of other people.
