How long should a child with chickenpox remain isolated from school or daycare?

The appropriate duration for isolating a child with chickenpox is until all sores have crusted over. This is crucial because chickenpox is highly contagious, particularly in the early stages when the child shows flu-like symptoms and develops the characteristic rash. Once all the sores have crusted, the risk of spreading the virus to others significantly decreases.

The crusting over of lesions indicates that the child is no longer infectious, as the virus is primarily spread through direct contact with the fluid from the blisters or through respiratory droplets. Therefore, ensuring that all lesions have crusted helps to protect other children in the school or daycare environment.

While resolution of other symptoms or fever might be important for overall health and attendance readiness, they do not specifically address the contagiousness associated with chickenpox. Similarly, relying on a doctor's clearance is not the standard guideline, as the contagious nature is primarily determined by the status of the lesions rather than medical clearance. Consequently, the requirement to keep the child isolated until all sores have crusted over effectively reduces the risk of transmission to others.