Also called: Also called: Varicella
Chickenpox is an infectious disease caused by the varicella virus. Most cases occur in children under age 15 but older children and adults can get it. It spreads very easily from one child to another.
Symptoms include an uncomfortable, itchy rash, fever and headache. The rash is like blisters and usually appears on the face, scalp or trunk. The disease is usually mild and lasts 5 to 10 days, but it sometimes causes serious problems. Adults and older children tend to get sicker from it. Do not give aspirin to anyone sick with chickenpox since the combination might cause Reye Syndrome.
Once you catch chickenpox, the virus usually stays in your body forever. You probably will not get chickenpox again, but the virus can cause shingles in adults. A chickenpox vaccine can help prevent most cases of chickenpox, or make it less severe if you do get it.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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Chickenpox(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/parent/infections/skin/chicken_pox.html
Also available in Spanish http://kidshealth.org/parent/en_espanol/infecciones/chicken_pox_esp.html
- Chickenpox (Varicella)(Logical Images) - http://www.visualdxhealth.com/child/varicellaChickenpox.htm
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JAMA Patient Page: Chickenpox(American Medical Association) - http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/reprint/294/7/866.pdf
Also available in Spanish http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/data/291/7/906/DC1/1
- Chickenpox(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/chickenpox/DS00053/DSECTION=all&METHOD=print
- Varicella Disease (Chickenpox)(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vpd-vac/varicella/dis-faqs-gen.htm
- Chickenpox Protection: Get That Booster(08/08/2008, HealthDay) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_67967.html
- Varicella Treatment Questions and Answers(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vpd-vac/varicella/dis-faqs-gen-treatment.htm
- Chickenpox Vaccination: Is It 100 Percent Effective?(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/chickenpox-vaccination/AN00181/METHOD=print
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Chickenpox Vaccine: What You Need to Know(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - Links to PDF - http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/pubs/vis/downloads/vis-varicella.pdf
Also available in Spanish http://www.immunize.org/vis/spvaric.pdf
- Varicella Vaccine (Chickenpox)(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vpd-vac/varicella/vac-faqs-gen.htm
- Other In Utero TORCH Infections(Children's Hospital Boston) - http://www.childrenshospital.org/az/Site474/mainpageS474P0.html
- Postherpetic Neuralgia(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/postherpetic-neuralgia/DS00277/DSECTION=all&METHOD=print
- Reye Syndrome(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/parent/infections/bacterial_viral/reye.html
- Varicella (Chickenpox): Health Information for International Travel(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://wwwn.cdc.gov/travel/yellowBookCh4-Chickenpox.aspx
- Chickenpox (Varicella) Photos(Immunization Action Coalition) - http://www.vaccineinformation.org/varicel/photos.asp
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Chickenpox
(National Institutes of Health) - http://clinicaltrials.gov/search/open/condition=%22Chickenpox%22
- Single Dose of Chickenpox Vaccine Not Enough(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/research/chickenpox_booster.html
References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
- Article: Varicella prevention in the United States: a review of successes... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18762511&tool=MedlinePlus
- Article: Zoster vaccine live for the prevention of shingles in the... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18686747&tool=MedlinePlus
- Article: Varicella zoster virus in health care workers in northern Israel:... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18675150&tool=MedlinePlus
- Chickenpox -- see more articles - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=search&db=pubmed&term=(chickenpox[majr]+OR+chickenpox+vaccine[majr])+AND+english[la]+AND+humans[mh]+NOT+(letter[pt]+OR+editorial[pt]+OR+case+reports[pt])&doptcmdl=summary&cmd_current=Limits&pmfilter_EDatLimit=last+1+Year&tool=MedlinePlus
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National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases - http://www3.niaid.nih.gov/
- Varicella Prevention Mandates(Immunization Action Coalition) - http://www.immunize.org/laws/varicel.htm
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Chickenpox(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/kid/ill_injure/sick/chicken_pox.html
Also available in Spanish http://kidshealth.org/kid/en_espanol/comunes/chicken_pox_esp.html
- Chickenpox and Children with Asthma(American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology) - http://www.medem.com/MedLB/article_detaillb.cfm?article_ID=ZZZSAZHFIBC&sub_cat=24
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What Makes Chickenpox Itch?(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/kid/health_problems/infection/chicken_pox_itch.html
Also available in Spanish http://kidshealth.org/kid/en_espanol/preguntas/chicken_pox_itch_esp.html
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Chickenpox (Varicella)(March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation) - http://www.marchofdimes.com/pnhec/188_675.asp
Also available in Spanish http://www.nacersano.org/centro/9254_9653.asp
- Facts about Chickenpox and Shingles for Adults(National Foundation for Infectious Diseases) - Links to PDF - http://www.nfid.org/pdf/factsheets/varicellaadult.pdf
- Childhood Immunization - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/childhoodimmunization.html
- Shingles - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/shingles.html
- Children and Teenagers - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/childrenandteenagers.html
- Infections - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/infections.html
- Skin, Hair and Nails - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/skinhairandnails.html
The primary NIH organization for research on Chickenpox is the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases - http://www.niaid.nih.gov/