How long are chicken pox infectious for? Confusing advice by nhs direct

[emkana]

After dd1 it's now dd2 (9 months) who's down with chicken pox. My friend's daughter has them as well, and we've both been wondering when we can mix with other people again. She phoned nhs direct - they said 10 to 14 days, until ALL the spots are scabbed over. I looked at the nhs direct website, where it says that there's never been a case of them being infectious more than 5 days after the first spots appeared.
So why don't they get their facts straight? Who to believe?
Confused of Gloucester!

I was sure it was 5 days after the spots first appeared but think this is new advice so maybe the person on the phone didn't have this new info?

its as soon as the spots scab over isnt it. but they are infectious 2 weeks before they appear.

My ds had chickenpox over easter, so I got the latest advice from the doctor. She said trials have proved that the patient is no longer infectious one week after the first spots appear, whether they have dried or not.

I agree that the person on the phone was giving out the old advice.

According to my pharmasist bro in law, the infection is in your body for up to 21 days before the spots appear and you will feel unwell for up to a week before the spots come out (usual signs of illness in kids - temperature, being fragile and generally feeling under the weather), but the virus is most infectious when the spots are in blister form as the fluid has made its way to the skin where most contact is made. Once they've scabbed over the infection is pretty much over! Hope this is helpful. Have been trying to inflict this one on my kids for six years now with no success. Have been in contact with lots of kids who've had it, but never when the spots are out!

On t he website its ways that the "scabbing over" theory is now old hat and its for 21 days before and 5 days after.

Aren't the spots usually scabby by 5 days anyway??

oh yes
ds3 looked rather reptilian