Chickenpox is a highly infectious condition caused by a virus called varicella zoster, which comes from the herpes group of viruses. It is common in the UK but less so in the United States since routine immunisation started there from the mid-90s.
Most cases in the UK occur before the age of five, although chickenpox may occur at any age. Once a person is exposed to the virus, it may take from nine days to three weeks before symptoms develop. A person is infectious from around four days before the rash develops until all the lesions have scabbed over.
Many people are concerned that children may develop shingles from someone else who has chickenpox. This is not possible - you can only contract shingles from yourself. Once someone has had chickenpox, the virus never leaves the body, but instead lies dormant in the spinal cord. In some instances, perhaps during times of stress or if the immune system is under par, the varicella zoster virus will travel along a nerve causing a localised skin rash, shingles.
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