What is Chickenpox?

What is Chickenpox?

• Chickenpox: Common viral infection.
• Chickenpox: highly contagious infectious disease caused by the varicella-zoster virus (Herpesvirus 3); usually affects children, is spread by direct contact or respiratory route via droplet nuclei, and is characterized by the appearance on the skin and mucous membranes of successive crops of typical pruritic vesicular lesions that are easily broken and become scabbed; chickenpox is relatively benign in children, but may be complicated by pneumonia and encephalitis in adults.
  Source - Diseases Database
• Chickenpox: an acute contagious disease caused by herpes varicella zoster virus; causes a rash of vesicles on the face and body.
  Source - WordNet 2.1

Chickenpox: Introduction

Types of Chickenpox:

Types of Chickenpox:

• Shingles
• more types...»

Broader types of Chickenpox:

• Herpesvirus
• Viral diseases
• Vaccine-preventable diseases
• more types...»

How many people get Chickenpox?

Incidence (annual) of Chickenpox: 120,624 annually (1995); 46,016 annual cases notified in USA 1999 (MMWR 1999); 199.14 per 100,000 in Canada 2000¹
Incidence Rate of Chickenpox: approx 1 in 2,254 or 0.04% or 120,624 people in USA [about data]
Prevalance of Chickenpox: Almost everyone gets chickenpox by adulthood (more than 95% of Americans). Chickenpox is highly contagious. CDC estimates that 4 million cases occur each year. (Source: excerpt from Facts About Chickenpox (Varicella): CDC-OC)

Who gets Chickenpox?

Patient Profile for Chickenpox: Mostly children; sometimes adults.

How serious is Chickenpox?

Complications of Chickenpox: see complications of Chickenpox
Prognosis of Chickenpox: While chickenpox is a mild disease for children, adults usually get much sicker. (Source: excerpt from Shots for Safety - Age Page - Health Information: NIA)
Deaths for Chickenpox: approximately 100 deaths (CDC-OC)

What causes Chickenpox?

Causes of Chickenpox: see causes of Chickenpox
Risk factors for Chickenpox: see risk factors for Chickenpox

What are the symptoms of Chickenpox?

Symptoms of Chickenpox: see symptoms of Chickenpox

Complications of Chickenpox: see complications of Chickenpox

Incubation period for Chickenpox: 2-3 weeks; or typically about 14 days but may be 11-20 days.

Incubation period for Chickenpox: Chickenpox develops within 10-21 days after contact with an infected person. (Source: excerpt from Facts About Chickenpox (Varicella): CDC-OC)

Seasonality of Chickenpox: The greatest number of cases of chickenpox occur in the late winter and spring. (Source: excerpt from Facts About Chickenpox (Varicella): CDC-OC)

Can anyone else get Chickenpox?

Contagion of Chickenpox: Spread directly from infected persons; also spread by older people with shingles.
More information: see contagiousness of Chickenpox

Chickenpox: Testing

Diagnostic testing: see tests for Chickenpox.

Misdiagnosis: see misdiagnosis and Chickenpox.

How is it treated?

Treatments for Chickenpox: see treatments for Chickenpox
Prevention of Chickenpox: see prevention of Chickenpox
Research for Chickenpox: see research for Chickenpox

Society issues for Chickenpox

Costs of Chickenpox: estimated $918 million in 1993
Costs of Chickenpox: In the United States, the annual cost of caring for children of normal health who contract chickenpox was estimated as $918 million in 1993. (Source: excerpt from Facts About Chickenpox (Varicella): CDC-OC)
Hospitalizations for Chickenpox: approximately 5,000-9,000 hospitalizations (CDC-OC)

Hospitalization statistics for Chickenpox: The following are statistics from various sources about hospitalizations and Chickenpox:

• 0.028% (3,561) of hospital consultant episodes were for varicella (chickenpox) in England 2002-03 (Hospital Episode Statistics, Department of Health, England, 2002-03)
• 93% of hospital consultant episodes for varicella (chickenpox) required hospital admission in England 2002-03 (Hospital Episode Statistics, Department of Health, England, 2002-03)
• 56% of hospital consultant episodes for varicella (chickenpox) were for men in England 2002-03 (Hospital Episode Statistics, Department of Health, England, 2002-03)
• 44% of hospital consultant episodes for varicella (chickenpox) were for women in England 2002-03 (Hospital Episode Statistics, Department of Health, England, 2002-03)
• 95% of hospital consultant episodes for varicella (chickenpox) required emergency hospital admission in England 2002-03 (Hospital Episode Statistics, Department of Health, England, 2002-03)
• more statistics...»

Name and Aliases of Chickenpox

Main name of condition: Chickenpox

Class of Condition for Chickenpox: viral

Varicella, Varicella zoster virus, VZV

Varicella, Herpes virus 3, Herpesvirus 3, human Source - Diseases Database

Varicella, Chickenpox
Source - WordNet 2.1

Research the causes of these diseases that are similar to, or related to, Chickenpox:

• Varicella-zoster virus (VZV)
• Shingles (or herpes zoster)
• Red
• Itchy rash on the skin
• Eczema

 » Next page: Online Medical Textbooks for Chickenpox

Rate This Website

What do you think about the features of this website? Take our user survey and have your say:

Website User Survey

Medical Tools & Articles:

Next articles:

• Online Medical Textbooks for Chickenpox
• Prevalence and Incidence of Chickenpox
• Videos related to Chickenpox
• Prognosis of Chickenpox
• Types of Chickenpox

Tools & Services:

• Bookmark this page
• Take a survey relating to Chickenpox
• Symptom Search
• Symptom Checker
• Medical Dictionary
• Give your feedback

Medical Articles:

• Disease & Treatments Search
• Misdiagnosis Center
• Full list of interesting articles

Forums & Message Boards

• Ask or answer a question at the Boards:
• I cannot get a diagnosis. Please help.
• Tell us your medical story.
• Share your misdiagnosis story.
• What is the best treatment for my condition?
• See all the Boards.

Enter your search terms Submit search form
Search The Web Search wrongdiagnosis.com

Common Health Mistakes

Symptom
Checker

Search Specialists by State and City