Chickenpox vaccine  Share this page:  Chickenpox vaccine
Chickenpox (also known as varicella) is an illness caused by the
varicella-zoster virus. You can protect your child from
chickenpox with a vaccine.  What are the symptoms of chickenpox?
Chickenpox sometimes starts with a fever and aches and pains.
Most children also lose their appetite and have a headache
during the first few days. Usually these symptoms are not
severe.  In many children, the first sign of illness is the
rash. The rash is usually itchy and makes your child
uncomfortable. It appears on the scalp and face, spreading
quickly down the body and onto the arms and legs. The spots
start as flat pink spots that turn into small water blisters.
New flat pink spots will form even after others turn into
blisters. Some children have only a few blisters. Others can
have as many as 500. These blisters dry up and form scabs in 4
or 5 days.  How is chickenpox spread?  Chickenpox is highly
contagious and spreads very quickly:    • Through the air when s