Chickenpox is extremely common and spreads easily among children – resulting in that telltale itchy red rash. So it’s no surprise that many parents at some point find themselves asking: can I go to work if my child has chickenpox? What do parents need to know? We talked to healthcare professionals to find out. Can I go to work if my child has chickenpox? General NHS advice is anyone with chickenpox should stay off school or work until no longer contagious (when the spots have all scabbed over). But if it’s only your child who has chickenpox and not you, what then? “Parents can go to work if their child has chickenpox, as long as their child has appropriate care in place,” says Dr Zulqarnain Shah, medical director at SSP Health and GP at SSP Health practice Colne Road Surgery. “Chickenpox is a highly contagious viral infection that can spread easily to others who have not had the illness or been vaccinated against it. Isolating a contact [eg. the parent of an infected child] is not necessary with chickenpox, as it is so common.” However, there may be times when extra caution is sensible. Most of the time, chickenpox is unpleasant but not serious – but it can cause complications in certain cases, such as for newborn babies, and people who are pregnant or have a weakened immune system. So if you are unsure whether you might have contracted the virus from your child and there is a chance of spreading it to somebody potentially vulnerable, it might be a good idea to seek advice. How long does chickenpox usually last? “Chickenpox typically lasts for two weeks,” says Dr Yiannis Ioannou, consultant paediatrician at The Portland Hospital (part of HCA Healthcare UK). “During the first few days of infection, new spots can appear all over the body. However, these should dry up after around five to 10 days. Scabs will form and eventually fall off. You may notice new spots appearing as older ones are healing. This is normal and nothing to worry about, as it can take around two weeks for all spots to dry up. “Unfortunately, it can be spread very easily. Someone infected with chickenpox can spread the disease to others two days before spots appear. Chickenpox can also be passed on through pregnancy. This can pose a threat to your unborn child,” Ioannou adds. “If you begin to suffer from any symptoms related to chickenpox [while pregnant], consult with your doctor as soon as possible.” Shah also suggests checking in with your GP if you are pregnant and your child gets chickenpox, but you’ve never had it before. How do you treat chickenpox? Chickenpox should clear up on its own eventually, so treatment is mostly about easing symptoms and preventing complications. Shah says: “Parents can give their child paracetamol to help reduce fever and relieve pain. Ibuprofen is not recommended, as it can cause a reactive rash. It is also important to keep the skin clean and dry to prevent infection of the blisters. Avoid using aspirin as it may increase the risk of Reye’s syndrome, a rare but serious illness that can occur in children with chickenpox.” Chickenpox can be very itchy. Ioannou says applying calamine can help. “You can often buy this over the counter at your local pharmacy. Dab the lotion directly onto the spots to provide relief.” Keeping babies’ and toddlers’ nails trimmed and clean is also helpful, plus gloves and mittens can help prevent scratching. Are there times when chickenpox requires medical advice for children? Shah suggests chickenpox in children is usually mild. “However, there are certain signs that may indicate a need to speak to a doctor and get additional advice,” he adds. “These include a high fever that lasts more than four days, severe coughing or trouble breathing, severe skin rash, or if the child seems very sick or weak. Parents should also seek medical attention if their child has a weakened immune system.” Ioannou says it’s important to be mindful of dehydration in babies and younger tots too. He adds: “If you are worried about your baby or child it is always important to seek medical advice.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live What is mitochondrial donation treatment and who can get it? Pensioner, 85, shares the simple switch that’s helped him to do 650,000 press-ups Angelina Jolie shares tribute to late mum and urges women with family cancer history to get checked

Brooke Shields has explained why she was initially against her teenage daughter Grier Hammond Henchy joining the “brutal” modelling industry. The 58-year-old, who was a child model and actor, said she “fought it for so long” but has since realised the “rules have changed” since her time as a model. Shields was recently the focus of a two-part Hulu documentary Brooke Shields: Pretty Baby, in which she described being sexualised at a very young age. At the age of 10, her mother Teri Shields consented to her daughter being photographed nude for Playboy, and at 12, Sheilds appeared in the 1978 film Pretty Baby as a child sex worker. After eventually giving her daughter the green light to begin her own modelling career, Shields said she has laid down some ground rules. In an interview on US chat show Live with Kelly and Mark on Thursday (1 May), she said: “It’s such a different industry now than it was… I finally had to give in and say, ‘If you’re going to do this, I’m not going to be your manager. You’re going to be with an agency. You’re going to have a great work ethic. It’s not going to be comfortable and you’re going to listen to me’.” Grier is keen to begin modelling on the runway, a category that Shields never broke into but which she understood to be “brutal”. “That’s brutal and backstage is just brutal,” she told hosts Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos, adding she did not think she could have “handled it”. When Shields began working, her mother Teri was her manager and they were “glued at the hip”, she said. “[It was] probably how I could survive because you couldn’t get to me. She was such a mama bear and so protective. On the one hand I was very naïve and on the other, I was just thrown into this crazy world.” In an interview with The Times published earlier this year ahead of her documentary, Shields reflected on her mother’s choices for her. She said it was difficult to have a conversation with her daughters, Rowan, 19, and Grier, about why their grandmother allowed her to do projects that left her vulnerable to sexualisation. “I mean, I could say: ‘Oh, it was the time back then’ or ‘Oh, it was art’. But I don’t know why she thought it was alright. I don’t know,” she admitted. However, Shelds said she wasn’t angry with her mother, who died on 31 October 2012 at 72. “Everyone wanted me to be angry with her, but anger was just too sad for me to take when I looked at how insecure she was,” she told the publication. “It’s so innate when you’re an only child of a single mother. All you want to do is love your parent and keep them alive forever, and so I wanted to protect her. And by virtue of protecting her, I was justifying everything and that solidified that bond between us.” Shields shares her daughters with husband and film director Chris Henchy, whom she married in 2001. Read More Beanie Feldstein marries girlfriend Bonnie-Chance Roberts Pregnant transgender man Logan Brown stars on cover of Glamour UK’s Pride issue Everything we know about Jordan’s royal wedding attended by Prince William and Kate Big Issue teams up with fashion designers to launch range of T-shirts How to do gel nails at home like a pro Vogue editor Anna Wintour announces Vogue World 2023 is coming to London

Joining the Dent family in 1985, our microwave had somewhat of a bad start. It arrived, fresh out the box from Comet, in the midst of an argument. My mam had not greenlit the purchase of this cumbersome stainless-steel cube, with a vivid orange door, that Dad and I were loading onto her already packed kitchen worktop. She did not share our enthusiasm for this magical, space-age item we’d seen on BBC’s Tomorrow’s World and knew would take our snacking into the future. She was mainly outraged at the whopping £100 sum I’d cajoled Dad into spending. “I don’t trust it,” said Mam, reeling off a list of concerns, including microwaved innards, catastrophic explosions and partially cooked food giving us rampant salmonella. The truth was a little less exciting: I remember us loading the first maris piper inside, pricked all over with a fork, blasting it on HIGH for seven minutes, hoping for a crisp, fluffy jacket spud, only to find a rock-hard lump with a thin, waxy skin that hissed and spat from the holes. “See? Useless!” said Mam. My dad and I were sheepish. But as the weeks went on, Mam’s attitude to the microwave softened. For a start, it was saving her a fortune on gas as we almost stopped using the hobs for tinned spaghetti, soup, baked beans, tinned custard. Plus, the defrost button meant we now had access to all those mystery items she’d deep-frozen months back. Potato became a thing of joy as we discovered “micro-mash” (real potato, already peeled, mashed and frozen). Mam and Dad worked, so now my brother Dave and I could rush home from school and warm up glamorous microwave meals we’d begged Mam for on the big Friday shop. Macaroni cheese in a plastic tray! Microwave chips in a box! We learned how to heat food thoroughly, stopping halfway to give it a stir, before lazing on the couch, watching Miami Vice with our microwave chicken chow mein, feeling like we were fully living the dream. Nowadays, I try to limit my intake of such shiny-packeted E-number-filled joys; but still, I can’t live without my small, sleek, silver microwave. Life is too short to use a pan for frozen peas or spaghetti hoops; and how would I live without a quick 800W blast to thaw and separate veggie sausages before hurling them in the air fryer, or to defrost frozen mince before whipping up a quick chilli? Some foodie types are snobbish about the microwave; I see it as a loyal friend who has had my back for over 30 years Watt’s on the menu? Make the most of your microwave to conjure up clever meals that save on time and energy use. These ingenious recipes are from Ocadolife. Easy perfect rice with smoked trout and broad beans If you have trouble boiling rice on the hob, you’re going to love this method. It’s super-easy and yields flawless results every time. Here, it’s teamed with a summery combination of pink fish, vibrant herbs and a zingy dressing. Serves: 4 Hands-on time: 15 mins | Total time: 20 mins, plus standing (based on an 800W microwave at full power) Ingredients, available from Ocado: 250g basmati rice, rinsed 500ml hot vegetable stock 300g frozen broad beans Zest and juice of 1 unwaxed lemon, plus extra wedges for squeezing 1 garlic clove, crushed or grated 2 tbsp olive oil handful of flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped Small bunch of dill, roughly chopped 2 x 100g packs M&S Scottish Loch Trout Flakes Method: 1. Put the rice in a large microwave-safe bowl. Pour the stock over the rice; stir well. Cover (if using microwave-safe wrap, pierce to let the steam escape); sit the bowl on a microwave-safe plate to catch drips and microwave for 12 mins. Remove; leave to stand, covered, for 10 mins. 2. Meanwhile, put the broad beans in another microwave-safe bowl with a few splashes of water, cover with a microwave-safe plate and blast for 2 mins. Remove, tip into a colander and refresh under cold running water until cooled; drain well. 3. Stir the broad beans into the rice, with the lemon zest and juice, garlic, olive oil, most of the herbs and plenty of seasoning. Fold through the trout. Divide between 4 plates and scatter over the remaining herbs. Serve with lemon wedges for squeezing. Per serving: 428cals, 1 veg portion, 10g fat (2g saturated), 22g protein, 59g carbs, 2g sugar, 7g fi bre, 1.7g salt Saucy supper silky aubergine and courgette noodles Microwaving cooks food from the inside out, so you can say goodbye to spongy aubergines and hello to beautifully soft flesh that soaks up the marinade as it cooks. Serves: 4 Hands-on/total time: 20 mins (based on an 800W microwave at full power) Ingredients available from Ocado: 2 aubergines, each cut lengthways into 8 pieces 100g egg noodles 1 large courgette, peeled into ribbons Large handful of coriander, roughly chopped 1 red chilli, sliced 1 tbsp sesame seeds, toasted For the marinade: 4 tbsp soy sauce 3 tbsp rice wine vinegar 1 tbsp sesame oil 2 garlic cloves, crushed or grated 3cm piece ginger, grated 1 tbsp miso paste 1 tsp caster sugar Method: 1. Combine all the marinade ingredients in a large microwave-safe bowl. Add the aubergine; toss to coat. Cover (if using microwave-safe wrap, pierce a couple of times to let the steam escape); microwave for 12 mins, stirring halfway, until cooked through. 2. Meanwhile, put the noodles in a heatproof bowl and cover with boiling water. Leave to stand for 3 mins or until tender. Put the courgette ribbons into a sieve, then drain the noodles over them – the residual heat will soften the courgette slightly. 3. Divide the noodles and courgette between 4 plates. Top with the aubergines, spooning over any remaining sauce. Scatter over the coriander and chilli, sprinkle with the toasted sesame seeds and serve immediately. Cover leftovers and chill for up to 2 days. Reheat in the microwave until piping hot. Per serving: 357cals, 1 veg portion, 5g fat (1g saturated), 13g protein, 60g carbs, 9g sugar, 9g fibre, 3.4g salt, £1.37 per portion Smoky bean chilli with cornbread and crispy bacon With no frying odours or splattered grease, bacon in the microwave is almost too good to be true – especially teamed with this delicious chilli and cheesy cornbread. Serves: 4 Hands-on time: 20 mins | Total time: 30 mins (based on an 800W microwave at full power) Ingredients available from Ocado: Six rashers dry-cured smoked streaky bacon For the cornbread: 2 tbsp unsalted butter, plus extra for spreading (optional) 5 tbsp plain flour 5 tbsp fine cornmeal or polenta 1 tsp baking powder 1 tbsp caster sugar 2 medium eggs, lightly beaten 6 tbsp natural yoghurt 1 green chilli, finely chopped (optional) 50g cheddar, finely grated For the chilli: 150g soffritto mix (we used Cook With M&S Frozen Soffritto Base, defrosted) 1 garlic clove, crushed or grated 2 tsp ground cumin 2 tsp smoked paprika 1 tsp dried oregano 1 tbsp olive oil 2 x 400g tins mixed beans, drained (splash of liquid reserved) 350g passata To serve (optional): Soured cream Handful of coriander, leaves picked 2 salad onions, chopped Method: 1. For the cornbread, put 1tbsp butter into each of 2 large mugs (preferably straight-sided). Microwave for 20 secs or until melted. Carefully swirl the butter around in the mugs so it greases the sides, then tip the excess out into a mixing bowl. Set the mugs aside. 2. Add the remaining cornbread ingredients to the bowl, reserving a little of the grated cheese. Season well, then stir until combined. 3. Divide the mixture equally between the 2 mugs and sprinkle over the remaining cheese. Microwave them separately for 1½-2 mins or until risen and springy. Run a knife around the edge of the cornbread to loosen; turn out onto a wire rack to cool. 4. For the chilli, put the soffritto, garlic, spices, oregano and oil into a large microwave-safe bowl. Cook for 3 mins, stirring halfway. 5. Add the beans (and a splash of liquid), passata and seasoning to the bowl; stir well. Cover (if using microwave-safe wrap, pierce a couple of times to let the steam escape), and cook for 5 mins, stirring halfway. Leave to stand while you cook the bacon. 6. Put 2 sheets of kitchen towel on a microwave-safe plate and lay the bacon in a single layer. Cover with another sheet of kitchen towel. Microwave for 1 min, then check to see if it’s crisp and starting to curl. If not, continue cooking in 20-sec bursts, being careful not to burn it. Break into shards. 7. Uncover the chilli (open it away from you to avoid the steam) and ladle into bowls. Top with a dollop of soured cream, the coriander and salad onions (if using), and the bacon. Serve with the cornbread, buttered if you like, for scooping. Leftover chilli will keep covered and chilled for 3 days. The cornbread is best eaten on the day of cooking. Per serving: 613cals, 2 veg portions, 29g fat (12g saturated), 30g protein, 54g carbs, 10g sugar, 9g fi bre, 2g salt, £1.60 per portion Read More How to shop for and cook Japanese food at home like a pro Forest Side, review: Cumbrian produce elevated to Michelin-starred proportions Showstopping BBQ main dishes for a hot grill summer 7 TikTok food hacks that actually work Saltie Girl in Mayfair will make you happy as a clam – as long as you can afford it Chef Ravinder Bhogal: Vegetables are the secret to saving money

BEST LAPTOP DEALS Dell XPS 15 15-inch Laptop | Intel 12th Gen Core i7-12700H, NVIDIA

For Iris van Herpen, whose radical couture dresses have attracted top musicians like Bjork, Beyonce and Lady Gaga, fashion is a way to...

His shoes have been worn by everyone from Diana, Princess of Wales, to Beyoncé, but legendary designer Jimmy Choo said his greatest achievement is setting up his own fashion school. Professor Choo – as he’s known to his students – set up the JCA London Fashion Academy in September 2021, calling it “my dream”. “I feel very proud – I know my dream has come true,” he told the PA news agency ahead of the masters students presenting their final collections. “My father said to me: whatever you learn, put it back to the industry. So we are lucky we have the JCA – I can put all my spirit and my knowledge, [and] give back to the students.” Before becoming a professor, Choo, 74, made his name with glamorous high-fashion footwear. After moving from his native Malaysia to study in the UK, he set up his eponymous brand in 1996 – designing heels for Diana, as well as being worn on red carpets all over the world and getting a nod in an episode of Sex And The City (when Sarah Jessica Parker’s fashion-obsessed character Carrie Bradshaw famously laments: “I lost my Choo!”) He’s delighted with the JCA Academy, but in a nod to his glittering career, Choo added: “I’ve had a lot of proud moments, from personally designing shoes for Princess Diana and other incredible VIPs [to] seeing emerging designers that I’ve mentored succeeding in their careers.” And while he’s an industry veteran, Choo said he’s still constantly learning. “The best piece of advice I received was to learn as much as possible,” he said – which is particularly important in the fashion industry where “everything changes”. He said: “The material, design, machinery, fabric – everything changes. So you have to adapt. Whatever you do, you must learn something.” Sustainability is one of the biggest areas of change in the fashion industry. “Now people [are] talking about sustainability – how to help the environment and that kind of thing,” Choo explained. “Everyone has to think about the future of the earth – if you spend so much and waste so many things, nature will be in trouble and so will we.” He looks to his students for inspiration, who “never fail to amaze me”. “Sophie Park was one of our footwear designers who made shoes out of plant-based materials such as cacti, pineapple and leaves. Olivia Black and Polly McKevitt both have collections made out of deadstock and materials that would have otherwise been discarded.” Choo enjoys working with young people because “they will listen to you”, and added: “They’re also very down to earth, willing to learn – that’s very important.” In turn, Choo emphasises to his students the importance of asking questions. “You have to ask why,” he said, giving the example of making a suit that doesn’t fit right and questioning why you can’t button the jacket up. “Because you’ve cut the pattern wrong, so your button cannot close. [With] only one inch, you made the whole thing difficult. The key to success, according to Choo, is collaboration – something which isn’t necessarily the norm in the highly competitive fashion industry. At JCA, he said he never wants anyone to think they’re “better than you, [or] you’re better than me”, he said. “If you’re better than anyone we should share their ideas and the whole thing benefits. We cannot be selfish.” It’s something he suggests is missing from the wider fashion industry. “Of course it’s important to own your ideas, but creativity flourishes when you can bounce ideas off other people. I think it’s important to have a network of people that you can speak openly with in the interest of improving and sparking creativity.” Among all the good advice propelling Choo’s career to the stratosphere, what was the worst he ever got? “Maybe it’s when someone told me I should retire.” See jca.ac.uk and @JcaLondon. Read More 4 black women on their experiences with breast cancer See Madonna’s extravagant tour outfits – including an updated cone bra Halloween pumpkins – how to grow your own Presenter Louise Minchin: Menopause conversations are no longer taboo – but we need to keep going Online apps recommended to manage lower back pain From choppy bobs to fox red, 5 celebrity-approved hair trends for autumn

Budweiser will still be the official World Cup beer through the 2026 tournament in the United States

Vikings had windows — usually only associated with medieval churches and castles — meaning Norsemen dignitaries sat in rooms lit up by apertures with glass

Fans and friends praised Blac Chyna after she announced the news on Instagram

Rising living costs are having a wide-ranging impact on our everyday lives, including when it comes to summer barbecues. In fact, the cost of food and drink for a typical summer barbecue in the UK could be around £10 more than last year, according to new calculations by Canada Life. The financial services provider, which used Office for National Statistics (ONS) figures to make the calculations, has put the cost of a typical barbecue at around £90, up from around £80 last summer. Of course, the actual cost will vary depending on exactly what you buy and how many people you’re catering for. In its basket of barbecue goods, Canada Life piled in products such as beef burgers, pork sausages, baking potatoes, chicken, meat-free sausages, veggie burgers, bread rolls, mayonnaise, cheese, salad ingredients, crisps, fizzy drink and alcoholic beverages. How can you keep barbecue costs down? If you’re keen to make the most of summer barbecue opportunities, but conscious of your budget too, Canada Life also has some tips. Spokesperson Shelley Greenwood suggests: “If you’re hosting more than once this summer, don’t throw out the charcoal after one use. Make sure you put out the fire safely and keep what is left in the barbecue for next time. Simply top up with new charcoal as needed.” Greenwood also suggests using price comparison apps such as Trolley to compare prices of items on your shopping list. “Then place your order through a cashback site to save even more,” she adds. She also suggests checking out apps for food in your local area that is being sold cheaply or perhaps even given away. For example, the Too Good to Go app allows people to search for bags of food being sold cheaply at places such as grocery stores, restaurants and cafes that might otherwise be destined to go to waste. Food sharing app Olio also helps stop surplus food going to waste, with users posting pictures of giveaways, including food and other items. Greenwood also suggests looking out for “yellow sticker” food items, which have been marked down in the supermarket, like cuts of meat or fish. Check these can be frozen and, if so, freeze them the same day and “simply defrost according to instructions ahead of your barbecue”, adds Greenwood. Also, rather than buying side dishes, go through your cupboards and fridge to see what ingredients could be transformed. Perhaps you could make your own pasta salad, or roast some tomatoes while you’re cooking something else, to create side dishes. You could also ask party guests to bring along a few sides to help share the costs. And if your priorities are more about having a summer gathering than firing up a barbecue, you could also consider by-passing the barbecue altogether and preparing food in your air fryer or slow cooker instead. Greenwood adds: “This way, you’re not reliant on the weather either.” Read More What I lost (and gained) by walking 10,000 steps each day for 5 months Woman says her life was ‘blown up’ by viral plane rant where she called passenger ‘not real’ How to save money in the kitchen according to top chefs Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live

Max Verstappen put his Red Bull on pole position for the Canadian Grand Prix following Saturday’s rain-hit qualifying session in Montreal. Verstappen has won five of the opening seven rounds and even a wet-dry-wet track in Montreal could not slow the Dutchman down. F1 grid: Starting positions for Monaco Grand Prix Nico Hulkenberg took advantage of the sodden track to take second spot for Haas, 1.2 seconds behind Verstappen, with Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso third. Lewis Hamilton qualified fourth, one spot ahead of George Russell in the other Mercedes, while Lando Norris claimed seventh for McLaren. Yet Hulkenberg has been demoted three places due to a red-flag infringement, meaning Alonso will line up on the front row. Verstappen has been in a class of one this year and the Red Bull man kept his composure in changeable conditions to take an impressive pole. Follow live updates from the Canadian Grand Prix with The Independent - the race starts at 7pm (BST). Read More F1 grid: Starting positions for Canadian Grand Prix Max Verstappen claims pole with shock front row partner for Canadian Grand Prix Carlos Sainz crashes out of Canadian GP third practice with Max Verstappen fastest

When Google's Bard AI is asked any question about Israel and Palestine, the chatbot basically