VARICELLA

A highly infectious viral disease, known familiarly as chickenpox. The "pox" of chickenpox is no major matter unless infected (through scratching) or occur in an immunodeficient person. However, there can be very major complications from chickenpox including pneumonia and encephalitis, particularly in adults but also sometimes in children. Reactivation of the same herpes virus to cause inflammation along a nerve of sensation is reponsible for shingles (zoster). The current aim in the U.S. is to achieve universal (or nearly universal) immunization of children with the chickenpox vaccine.