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Information on chicken pox Chickenpox is a common disease among children and virtually every person contracts it at some point in life. Since it is highly transmissible among people not immune to it, the disease spreads rapidly mainly amidst children in schools and families.
This disease is caused by the varicella-zoster virus, which belongs to the class of the herpes virus.
This same virus is also known to cause shingles in adults. The first signs of the disease taking shape are the spread of itchy rash all over the body, especially on the face, scalp, chest and back and sometimes the entire body. The rash quickly turns out into little blister-like breakouts that open and crust all over. New blisters and rash keep appearing over and over again for several days, while the itching may go from moderate to vigorous.
The virus is contracted through direct touch from the rash or through the air by the patient coughing out or sneezing. The patient can transmit the virus for up to 48 hours as long as rash is visible, once the crusts form it ceases to be contagious. Ahead of the rash appears the patient may come up with a fever, tummy ache, loss of appetite, headaches, uneasiness and cough with a runny nose for the first two days before the breakout.
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