Kids' Health Incubation Periods of Childhood Diseases Print By Vincent Iannelli, MD | Medically reviewed by a board-certified physician Updated October 12, 2018 Infectious Diseases. Thanasis Zovoilis / Getty Images More in Kids' Health Cold & Flu Chicken Pox Childhood Obesity & Overweight Kids Fever Head Lice Measles Kids' Skin Health Common Childhood Infections Commonly Prescribed Drugs Teen Health Issues Special Needs Health Issues Preemie Health Issues View All In infectious disease terms, the incubation period is the amount of time between being exposed to a contagious disease and developing symptoms. Incubation Period Depending on the disease, the incubation period can be just a few hours or can last for several months. Knowing the incubation period for a disease can help you understand if your child is still at risk of getting sick or if he is in the clear — whether he is exposed to someone with strep throat, measles, or the flu. It can also help you figure out where and when your child got sick. For example, if your infant develops chickenpox, a vaccine-preventable disease, you can't blame it on your cousin who doesn't vaccinate her kids and who was visiting just three days ago. The incubation period for chickenpox is at least 10 to 21 days. So your child who is too young to be vaccinated likely caught chicken pox from someone he was exposed to a few weeks ago. As we have seen in outbreaks of Ebola and measles, a disease's incubation period can also help you figure out how long an exposed person needs to stay in quarantine. After all, if they don't get sick once the incubation period is over, then they likely won't get sick and can be released from quarantine. Incubation Period of Common Diseases The incubation period for some common diseases includes: Adenovirus - 2 to 14 days, leading to a sore throat, fever, and pink eyeVomiting after exposure to Bacillus cereus, a type of food poisoning - 30 minutes to 6 hours (very short incubation period)Clostridium tetani (Tetanus) - 3 to 21 daysChickenpox - 10 to 21 daysCoxsackievirus infections, such as HFMD - 3 to 6 daysEpstein-Barr Virus Infections (Infectious Mononucleosis) - 30 to 50 days (long incubation period)E. coli - 10 hours to 6 days (short incubation period)E. coli O157:H7 - 1 to 8 daysFifth disease - 4 to 21 days, with the classic 'slapped cheek' rashGroup A streptococcal (GAS) infection (strep throat) - 2 to 5 daysGroup A streptococcal (GAS) infection (impetigo) - 7 to 10 daysHead lice (time for eggs to hatch) - 7 to 12 daysHerpes (cold sores) - 2 to 14 daysInfluenza (flu) - 1 to 4 daysListeria monocytogenes (Listeriosis) - 1 day to 3 weeks, but can be as long as 2 months (long incubation period)Measles - 7 to 18 daysMolluscum contagiosum - 2 weeks to 6 months (long incubation period) Mycobacterium tuberculosis (TB) - 2 to 10 weeks (long incubation period)Mycoplasma penumoniae (walking pneumonia) - 1 to 4 weeksNorovirus ( the 'cruise ship' diarrhea virus) - 12 to 48 hours (very short incubation period)Pinworms - 1 to 2 monthsRabies - 4 to 6 weeks, but can last years (very long incubation period)Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) - 2 to 8 daysRhinovirus (common cold) - 2 to 3 days, but may be up to 7 daysRoseola - about 9 to 10 days, leading to a few days of fever and then the classic rash once the fever breaksRotavirus - 1 to 3 daysGastrointestinal symptoms (diarrhea and vomiting) after exposure to Salmonella - 6 to 72 hoursScabies - 4 to 6 weeksStaphylococcus aureus - variesStreptococcus pneumoniae (can cause pneumonia, meningitis, ear infections, and sinus infection, setc.) - 1 to 3 daysWhooping cough (pertussis) - 5 to 21 days Knowing the incubation period of an illness isn't always as helpful as it seems, though, as kids often have multiple exposures when kids around them are sick, especially if they are in school or daycare. Conditions with long incubation periods can also fool you, as you might suspect a recent exposure, but it was really someone your child was around months ago. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Get diet and wellness tips to help your kids stay healthy and happy. Email Address Sign Up There was an error. Please try again. Thank you, , for signing up. What are your concerns? Other Inaccurate Hard to Understand Submit Article Sources Feigin and Cherry's Textbook of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, 6th Edition. Long. Principles and Practice of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, 4th Edition. Red Book: 2015 Report of the Committee on Infectious Diseases. Pickering LK, ed. 30th ed. Elk Grove Village, IL: American Academy of Pediatrics; 2015 Continue Reading