By: Chase Martens & Joel Easterwood

Varicella also commonly known as chickenpox is caused by a virus called varicella zoster. People who get the virus often develop a rash of spots that look like blisters all over their bodies. The blisters are small and sit on an area of red skin that can be anywhere from the size of a pencil eraser to the size of a dime. You've probably heard that chickenpox are itchy. It's true. The illness also may come along with a runny nose and cough. But the good news is that chickenpox is a common illness for kids, and most get better by resting just like you do with a cold or the flu. And the really good news is that, thanks to the chickenpox vaccine, lots of kids don't get chickenpox at all. Kids who do get it after they've gotten the shot often get less severe cases, which means they get better quicker.

 A red, itchy rash, initially resembling insect bites, on your face, scalp, chest and back  Small, liquid-filled blisters that break open and crust over  Fever  Abdominal pain or loss of appetite  Mild headache  General feeling of unease and discomfort (malaise) or irritability  A dry cough  Headache

 The Varicella virus is the cause of chickenpox.  Chickenpox has a 14 day incubation period. It is associated with a rash that develops on the face and body associated with fever. Later, the rash develops on the arms and legs.  Chickenpox are spread the inhalation or by direct contact.

 Anti-virus medicine is available for treatment, but it is used mostly in adults and others who are at risk for developing more serious disease. Skin infections, a common complication of chickenpox, can be prevented by keeping blisters clean and not scratching them.

 4 million persons per year, mostly children. In temperate climates, most cases occur in the late winter and spring  deaths from chickenpox continue to occur in the United States. In 1997, three young adults died from complications of chickenpox.  Almost everyone gets chickenpox by adulthood.

 Adults that let the disease go untreated can acquire herpes, shingles or the worst Death.

 med.com/Cause_of_Chickenpox.asp med.com/Cause_of_Chickenpox.asp  /chicken_pox.html /chicken_pox.html 