Chicken Pox - should they be out 6 days later?

[babblington]

Please can someone enlighten me? My friends DS (4) got chicken pox 6 days ago. He has a little brother who hasn't got/had it yet, but she was happily carting chicken pox child around to gymnastics etc today - surely said child is still infectious and little brother certain to be festering with potential chicken pox germs? My two haven't had it and I'm 12 weeks pregnant (not announced yet) so feel a bit sensitive about germs and chicken pox in general, but sure 6 days is not long enough to get over it -please tell me I'm being OTT about it all!!

The "official" exclusion period is 5 days and you can't realistically not take a child out who may develop it 2-3 weeks later. There is no certainty the brother will egt it. The most infectious period is just before the spots come out until they crust over.

if spots have crusted then they're o.k. even if they still look horrific.

so 5 days after you get the first set of spots is ok?

5 days after first set of spots can be OK, if they are all crusted over (although to be honest, even if not all crusted over, he really won't be very infectious by now: the infection is most likely to spread before any spots appear, so if you were anywhere near him before you knew he got it, that's when your children were most at risk of catching it off him). If you had chickenpox as a child yourself, then it is highly unlikely you are at risk, even though you are pregnant.

DS had it the other week and I was told that they were most infectious 2 days before and 2 days after the spots come out, but once they are all crusted they are def not infectious any more.

DS was off nursery for 6 days - could prob have gone back after 5 but I wanted to be totally sure.

DD was back at school 6 days after as were most off her friends who had it at the same time. She can't keep her other child in just incase

from nhs direct:

You are infectious from about two days before the rash appears until roughly five days after. Therefore, you, or your child, should stay at home until all of the blisters have fully crusted over, and this usually happens 5-7 days after the first blister appears. After the last blister has burst and crusted over, you are no longer infectious.

You should be ok if you have chicken pox already and there is no way of knowing if the other child is going to get it anyway - they cant stay in for 3 weeks 'just in case' (incubation period is 10-21 days)

Ah ok - I am being over sensitive! Thank you all...