People Often Confuse Chickenpox and Measles. What is the Difference?

People Often Confuse Chickenpox and Measles. What is the Difference?

Chickenpox and measles are both infectious diseases and are caused due to viruses. But these two diseases are caused by varied viruses and should not be confused one for another. chickenpox is caused by the varicella-zoster virus whereas measles is caused by the measles virus. Both diseases have been known as common childhood infections but have different identities as they are different in virus. The good news is that both these are preventable through vaccination. Both Chickenpox Vaccination and Measles Vaccination are made available now. Let's take a deeper dive and understand how chickenpox and measles are different from each other through the chickenpox vs. measles symptoms. The symptoms of chickenpox include:

● A rash that initially shows up on the infected patient's chest, face, and back, but gradually spreads to the rest of the body.

● Fever

● Headache

● Fatigue

● Decreased appetite

The common symptoms of measles include:

● A rash first shows up at your hairline or forehead, and then spreads downward to other parts of your body

● fever

● hacking cough

● runny nose

● sore throat

●red, inflamed eyes (conjunctivitis)

●Koplik's spots

While both diseases are known to cause a telltale rash, the appearance of the rash differs between the two viruses. This can be a pretty simple way to distinguish between the two diseases effortlessly. The chickenpox rash initiates with raised red bumps or papules. These bumps turn into itchy fluid-filled blisters or even vesicles. These fluid-filled spaces eventually rupture and ooze before scabbing over. The measles rash on the other hand appears as flat red spots without the presence of fluids. Though raised bumps may sometimes appear. If bumps do appear, they are completely absent of fluid contents. Chickenpox vs. measles treatment. Both chickenpox and measles are caused by a virus and are classified as viral infection. Hence the treatment is mostly symptomatic. The treatment focuses on easing symptoms until the infection clears out. Some people are at high risk for complications from chickenpox infection include:

● people with a compromised immune system

●people on steroid medication

● unvaccinated children

● adults who've never had or been vaccinated through the Varicella vaccine.