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Fact: Most Rashes That Look Like Chicken Pox Are Something Else
Is your child's rash really chicken pox, or is it something else? Some children do not have fevers. They just have itchy bumps on their skin. These bumps don't have blisters on them, but when the child scratches at them, they get scabbed over. The rash may start on the arm or the leg, not the trunk. Usually, these patients have also had their chickenpox vaccines as well.
Fact: Chicken Pox Vaccination Makes True Infection Unlikely
Most school-age children are protected from chicken pox now, thanks to the chicken pox vaccine. It is usually given at the 12- or 15-month well visit, and it is also one of the kindergarten vaccines. Researchers have found that giving these two doses is over 97% effective in preventing the once common childhood disease.
So is it chicken pox? If your child has been vaccinated, most likely not. There are other viral rashes that can look similar, such as the hand-foot-mouth virus, which can actually affect more than the hands, the feet, and the mouth. Or other, less common rashes that providers who are not pediatricians may not be aware of. It may be something called papular eczema, which is seen commonly in kids who have allergies and asthma. It looks a lot like chicken pox, but it's not.
When to Call Your Pediatrician About a Child's Rash
So if you don't know if your child has chicken pox or not and they've had their vaccines, take some pictures of the rash on a couple of days and call your child's pediatrician to see, do you need to have them brought in, what are the symptoms they have. And usually over the phone, your child's pediatrician will be able to tell you if they need to be seen for chicken pox or if this is something different.
updated: February 10, 2026
originally published: April 25, 2016
Sorting fact from fiction so parents can worry less and trust more
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