Fever with raised pustules is characteristic of which infection?

• A. Varicella
• B. Measles
• C. Smallpox
• D. Herpes zoster

Answer: (C)

Fever with raised pustules points to a rash that comprises deep-seated, firm pustules that erupt in a synchronous pattern across the body. This is classic for smallpox, where the rash progresses in unison through stages—papules, vesicles, pustules, then crusts—with the lesions often beginning on the face and spreading outward, leaving noticeable scarring.

Varicella tends to produce more superficial vesicles described as “dew drops on a rose petal,” appearing in crops so lesions are in various stages at once and are usually pruritic rather than deeply pustular. Measles features a maculopapular rash with high fever and respiratory symptoms, but pustules are not the hallmark. Herpes zoster causes a painful vesicular eruption in a dermatomal distribution, not a generalized, raised pustular eruption.