Chickenpox/Shingles
Chickenpox/Shingles Fact Sheet
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The varicella-zoster virus (VZV) causes two different
types of disease:
Chickenpox (varicella) is a rash illness that usually occurs
in children. The varicella rash can occur all over the body.
When it occurs, shingles (zoster) usually occurs in adults
over 50 years of age who had varicella as a child. People with zoster
experience pain, itching, blisters, and loss of feeling along a nerve.
This virus is only found in humans.
Chickenpox occurs most often in children.
Approximately 90% of the people in the United States have been infected
by 15 years of age.
The illness is usually mild in children but can be more
severe in adolescents and adults. Infection during pregnancy can
occasionally cause a condition called congenital varicella syndrome in
newborns.
A vaccine has been available since 1995. Prior to the vaccine, CDC estimated that
there were 4 million cases each year, most often occurring in the late winter and
spring.
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