When can a child diagnosed with chickenpox return to school?

The correct timing for a child diagnosed with chickenpox to return to school is when the lesions are crusted. This means that all the chickenpox lesions have developed into crusts, indicating that the infectious stage has passed. Chickenpox is contagious from about one to two days before the rash appears until all the lesions have crusted over. This is important to prevent the spread of the virus to other children or individuals, especially those who may be immunocompromised or have not had the chickenpox vaccine.

The option related to the blisters ceasing to erupt does not fully account for when a child is no longer contagious, as they can still spread the virus until all lesions are crusted. Controlling itching is not a reliable indicator of infectiousness, as it does not relate to the presence of lesions. While macules disappearing indicates healing, it also does not reflect the status of contagiousness necessary for returning to a communal environment like school. Therefore, the crusting of lesions is the definitive criterion for determining when it is safe for the child to come back to school.