Chickenpox is caused by the varicella-zoster virus. It mostly occurs in children, but can affect adults who were never exposed to it as a child.

Chickenpox is one of the oldest recorded childhood conditions. It can begin with just a fever, but it always ends up with contagious red bumpy rashes that spread from head to toe. For about a week, your child is covered in blister-like bumps that are red, itchy and painful. It can be the worst nightmare of parents, especially if they have more than one child or diaper-wearing infants.

A new vaccine for chickenpox, the varicella vaccine, has been available in the United States since 1995 to inoculate against the disease. Some states require the varicella vaccination or an exemption before entering elementary school, and many healthcare facilities require the vaccine for employees. Protection from one dose is not life-long and a second dose is necessary five years after the initial immunization

Parents have had conflicting views and are puzzled by whether they should they give it to their children or allow nature to take its course.

For hundreds of years, children have lived through chickenpox. When the body encounters childhood diseases such as chickenpox, measles or mumps, it builds up immunity. Antibodies are produced as a result of the body fighting the invading antigen. A high level of these antibodies in the body (titers) can ward off future incidents of the condition from occurring.

In the past, if one child was exposed to the virus, parents would deliberately expose all of their children because it almost guaranteed that the healthy children would contract the disease while still in childhood.

However, we now know that the future problem of having had chickenpox is shingles, which is caused by the dormant chickenpox virus and is quite painful. It can also cause serious problems in those who have never had chickenpox before.

Adults who have had chickenpox as children have a greater incidence of contracting shingles as adults. For non-immune adults, the varicella vaccine can help lower their risk of contracting chickenpox, especially in elderly people, where it can be life threatening.