Chickenpox (Varicella Zoster) What is chickenpox? Chickenpox is a highly contagious, acute and generalized disease caused by the varicella virus, a member of the herpes virus family. Who gets chickenpox? Almost everyone gets chickenpox. It usually occurs at 2 to 8 years of age. Epidemics are seen in three or four year cycles, mainly from January through May. Recommendations: ! DO NOT use aspirin. ! Keep child home from school until all lesions are crusted, usually seven days. ! Keep nails trimmed. Put gloves on child if scratching is a problem. ! Encourage fluids. ! If genital lesions cause pain when peeing, encourage child to pee in bath water. ! May use Aveeno baths for itching: mix one cup Aveeno with two cups cold water. Shake until mixed, then pour in tub of warm water. ! Call physician immediately if child develops cough, shortness of breath, chest pain, high fever, stiff neck, headache, listlessness or hyperirritability. How is chickenpox spread? Chickenpox is highly contagious. Chickenpox is transmitted to others by direct person-to-person contact, by droplet or airborne spread of discharges or secretions from an infected person's nose and mouth or indirectly through articles freshly soiled by discharges or secretions from the infected person's lesions. The scabs themselves are not considered infectious.