Question

Chickenpox can be easily identified from measles due to

• A. High fever
• B. Irritation all over the skin
• C. Dew-drop-like rashes
• D. Sneezing and watery discharge from nose

Answer 1

The correct option is C Dew-drop-like rashes

Chickenpox, or varicella, is caused by the varicella-zoster virus, which is related to the herpes virus. The infection has three stages. It starts out with the appearance of little, itchy bumps. Those bumps turn into blisters filled with fluid. The final stage is the scabbing over of the bumps. A chickenpox rash classically presents as small, fluid-filled blisters on a red base, sometimes described as 'dew drops on rose petals'. A person with chickenpox develops sores that fill with fluid and turn into blisters. These sores tend to appear in groups, but the blisters are usually separate, and don’t join up. In contrast, measles sores do not contain fluid, but are small, raised, red areas of skin. They also tend to join together to create large patches of rash. Another difference is that while pox blisters turn into open sores that crust over, measles rash does not, although the skin often becomes dry and flaky.

Therefore, the correct answer is option C.