Measles and chickenpox are caused by different viruses and have different symptoms, although both cause rashes and are highly contagious. Measles sufferers tend to be more sick than those with chickenpox, and have a higher fever. Chickenpox can be treated with medication, but there is no antiviral treatment for measles. Aspirin and ibuprofen can be dangerous for those with chickenpox.
Measles and chickenpox share some basic similarities, but are caused by different viruses and have different symptom patterns. Both viruses cause rashes, but they don’t usually look the same, and people tend to get more sick with measles than with chicken pox. Another difference is that people with measles often have a fever a degree or two higher than they might have if they had chickenpox.
The virus that causes chickenpox is the varicella-zoster virus, while the other is simply called the measles virus. Both are highly contagious diseases that can be spread through coughing, sneezing, and close contact with an infected person. Chicken pox can be spread through contact with skin blisters and measles through contact with nasal or throat secretions.
The first symptoms
In people who have been vaccinated against these viruses, it is relatively easy to distinguish the two diseases. A person vaccinated against measles is very unlikely to get the disease, but this is not the case with chickenpox. A person who has received the smallpox vaccine can still get the disease, but the symptoms are usually mild, with a slight rash and faster healing.
Measles symptoms typically develop one to two weeks after contact with an infected person, while chickenpox symptoms begin to show after ten days to three weeks. During the first days of illness, both diseases usually cause fever, runny nose and cough. Measles sufferers often have a sore throat and a rash of white patches inside the cheeks, while people with chickenpox tend to get headaches or stomach pains.
Fever
These first symptoms are almost always accompanied by an increase in body temperature. Two or three days after the first symptoms of measles appear, the fever usually rises to a temperature between 104 and 105 °C. People with chickenpox rarely have a fever this high; about 40-40.56°F (101-102°C) is typical.
Rash
A chickenpox rash usually begins to develop slightly before a person’s fever rises, whereas in the case of measles, the rash and fever tend to develop around the same time. For both conditions, the rash develops over three to five days and then lasts about a week. After this time, it fades away and the skin starts to heal.
The rashes sometimes appear similar at first, but quickly develop into some major differences. The main difference is that a person with chickenpox develops sores that fill with fluid and turn into blisters. These sores tend to appear in clusters, but the blisters are usually separate and don’t come together. In contrast, measles sores do not contain fluid, but are small, red, raised areas of skin. They also tend to come together to create large patches of rash. Another difference is that while smallpox blisters turn into open sores that crust over, measles rash does not, although the skin often becomes dry and flaky.
Measles and chickenpox rashes both tend to itch, but smallpox rashes are usually more itchy. As a result, people with chickenpox are more likely to scratch their skin to the point where the infection develops into one or more sores. This also means a higher likelihood of scarring.
Duration of the disease
Another way to distinguish between these diseases is that a few days after the rash appears, many people with chickenpox feel much less sick. They may have mild stomach discomfort, feel irritable, or have problems with itching, but fever and other viral symptoms usually subside. People with measles are typically sicker for longer, with fever, fatigue and aches, cough, runny nose, and watery eyes. Both illnesses last from about ten days to two weeks, but those with measles tend to be sicker for a longer part of that time.
Treatment and complications
Being able to tell the difference between measles and chicken pox is important for several reasons. One is that, while there is no antiviral treatment for measles, there are chickenpox medications that can help symptoms if given early enough. Apart from this difference, the treatments for the two diseases are similar, with bed rest, hydration, good nutrition and not scratching the skin being the most important.
While aspirin and ibuprofen can both help relieve some symptoms of the diseases, it can be dangerous for a person with chickenpox to take these medications. Aspirin can cause a complication called Reye’s syndrome, in which symptoms such as confusion, nausea and vomiting, aggression or irritability, and loss of consciousness can develop suddenly. These symptoms require emergency medical attention. Ibuprofen is dangerous because it increases the risk of secondary infections, such as pneumonia.
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