chicken pox and siblings

[MrsJohnDeere]

If one child has chicken pox do you assume that the other is contagious and keep them home?
Ds1 has it (one spot Friday, a few yesterday, lots now). Ds2 has nothing but was sick this morning (in the car in stop-start traffic so could be carsickness).

Ds2 was due to go somewhere tomorrow but I don't know if he should.

[Seona1973]

no I would only keep a sibling home if they had chicken pox symptoms. The incubation period is 10-21 days so that would be an awful long time to stay away from everything.

[NorkilyChallenged]

No don't keep a sibling home - the incubation period is 3 weeks so that's a long time to wait off school or nursery or whatever if your other child didn't develop it.

My nursery said they were happy for the sibling to come in until she had spots. Since DD1 had caught it at nursery anyway and had gone there while contagious (because you don't know until the spots appear), they weren't too concerned.

For info, it was 21 days exactly between DD1 and DD2 having symptoms.

[MrsJohnDeere]

Ds2 now has a horrible D&V thing so can't go anywhere for a few days anyway. I'm hoping it will develop into chicken pox so they can both get it over and done with.