A child in a kindergarten class develops chickenpox. What is the incubation period?

• A. 10-21 days
• B. 3-5 days
• C. 1-2 days
• D. 28-35 days

Answer: (A)

The incubation period is the time from exposure to the varicella zoster virus to when the first signs appear. For chickenpox, this period is about 10 to 21 days after exposure, with most children showing symptoms around 14–16 days. So if a child in a kindergarten class develops chickenpox, the prior exposure likely occurred within the two to three weeks before the rash begins. The other time frames don’t fit chickenpox: 3–5 days or 1–2 days are too short for this virus to manifest, and 28–35 days is longer than typical for varicella. Understanding this helps with tracing exposure and determining monitoring and exclusion from school.