Chicken Pox and Shingles.

The varicella virus is the culprit behind chicken pox....which has nothing to do with chickens.  The meaning of "chicken" pox, is "milder, weaker" pox, as compared to the deadlier and now extinct smallpox disease.
Still,chicken pox can be pretty unpleasant if you are 5 years old, and really horrible if you are 25 or older.  It can cause serious birth defects in pregnant women.  And just when you think you are safe, varicella can reappear in later life as shingles: a painful, blistering rash.

Learn more about the chicken pox and shingles in our Healthy Living videos below:

Answers to your questions here: