WHAT CAUSES CHICKEN POX?
Chicken Pox is spread by a virus transmitted in droplets of fluid, which may be coughed or sneezed out. The blisters contain live virus. The person with chicken pox is infectious from two days before the rash starts until all the scabs have been shed. The incubation period is two to three weeks. Once a person has had chicken pox, the virus remains dormant in the nerve cells and may reactivate later in a condition known as shingles (herpes zoster).
Chicken pox is caused by the Varicella-Zoster virus (VZV) A person who has chickenpox can transmit the virus for up to 48 hours before the telltale rash appears and remains contagious until all spots crust over. How do you catch chickenpox? The viral infection is transferred from one person to another through direct contact with the broken chickenpox blisters and through airborne droplets. Symptoms of Chickenpox Chickenpox causes a red, itchy rash on the skin that usually appears first on the abdomen or back and face, and then spreads to almost everywhere else on the body, including the scalp, mouth, nose, ears, and genitals. The chickenpox rash usually appears less than two weeks after exposure to the virus and begins as superficial spots. These spots quickly turn into small liquid-filled blisters that break open and crust over. New spots continue to appear for several days and may number in the hundreds. Itching may range from mild to intense. After a chickenpox red spot appears, it
