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Chickenpox (Varicella)
- Topic Overview
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Health Tools
- Cause
- Symptoms
- What Happens
- What Increases Your Risk
- When To Call a Doctor
- Exams and Tests
- Treatment Overview
- Prevention
- Home Treatment
- Medications
- Other Places To Get Help
- Related Information
- References
- Credits
The varicella-zoster virus, one of the herpes viruses, causes chickenpox infection. The same virus that causes chickenpox also causes shingles (herpes zoster).
How it is spread
The chickenpox virus can spread easily from one person to another. It most often spreads through the respiratory tract, such as mucous membranes of the mouth and nose. You also can get chickenpox through the air, from an infected person's sneezing or coughing. Less often, chickenpox is spread when fluid from a chickenpox blister gets on your skin. Chickenpox is most contagious from 2 to 3 days before the rash develops until all the blisters have crusted over.
In rare cases, a person can get chickenpox from the fluid of shingles blisters.
| By: | Healthwise Staff | Last Revised: July 30, 2010 |
| Medical Review: | Susan C. Kim, MD - Pediatrics Thomas Emmett Francoeur, MDCM, CSPQ, FRCPC - Pediatrics | |
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