Hello,
My Dad is receiving chemotherapy for waldenstroms macroglobulinemia. I looked after a friend's child who has chickenpox. The child hasn't got weeping sores.
My Dad and I have both had chickenpox, but do I have to quarantine from him just in case.
Many thanks,
Angharad
Hi Angharad
Thanks for getting in touch.
My name is Paula and I am one of the Cancer Information Nurse Specialists on the Macmillan Support Line.
Sorry to hear about your dad’s diagnosis. I hope he is tolerating his chemotherapy well with minimum side-effects.
It’s was very kind of you to look after a friends’ child who has chickenpox but I can understand your immediate concern for dad.
Chickenpox is an infectious disease and can be transmitted by direct contact with the spots or through the air when someone sneezes or coughs within the incubation period.
The incubation period for chickenpox can be between 1-3 weeks and the most infectious stage is about 24 hours before the spots appear. It becomes less infectious when all the blisters have crusted over.
Most people who have had chickenpox in the past, develop a lifelong immunity against the virus. As both yourself and dad have had chickenpox previously you should fall within this category. However, it has been reported in some rare cases that people have been reinfected with the virus for a second time. It can also reactivate years later and cause shingles.
The only concern I have for your dad is that he’s currently on chemotherapy which makes him immunocompromised and at risk of infections. Going into quarantine is a difficult one as dad still needs to go and have his treatment. We would suggest being vigilant for dad right now and to let his team know as soon as possible if he feels unwell
I hope this information has been helpful, but if you need further support please don’t hesitate to get back in touch. Sometimes giving us a call can be helpful. We can talk to you about your concerns and discuss how we can support you more.
Ref: PW/UH
