A 4 year old child is brought to the emergency department by her mother because of a rash that has developed over the preceding 24 hours. The rash is that of uncomplicated chickenpox infection and the history gives a good story of recent contact. The child has no medical history of note and is not immunocompromised. You wonder whether the prescribing of oral acyclovir would reduce the disease severity and duration compared to symptomatic control only.

Structured clinical question

In uncomplicated chickenpox infection in immunocompetent children [patient] is oral acyclovir [intervention] beneficial in reducing severity and duration of infection [outcome]?

Search strategy and outcome

Medline 1966–07/04 using the Ovid interface. The Cochrane Library Issue 2, 2004 [(aciclovir OR acyclovir).mp. AND (chickenpox OR chickenpox).mp.] LIMIT to human AND English language AND all child …