Is chickenpox a totally harmless disease in children?
In a vast majority of children chickenpox is not associated with any complications. Secondary bacterial infection affecting the skin lesions is the commonest complication that one encounters. In a minority of children, the virus could prove more aggressive and cause infection in the lungs leading to pneumonia and may affect the brain leading to swelling and infection of the brain (encephalitis). Such a child may develop unconsciousness and convulsions. These could prove fatal. Occasionally, virus may affect small brain (cerebellum) resulting in difficulty in walking. Many other complications are described. But these usually have a self-limited course. Most children get away with only a few scars that remain to the skin once the crusts fall of. At times, the scarring may be unsightly, which may cause cosmetic concerns later in life.
