Chickenpox used to be thought of as a mild childhood illness. The truth is that it can cause serious health problems, even death. This disease is easily spread through the air by sneezing and coughing or through contact with someone's chickenpox sores. If you've never had chickenpox, you can get infected by just being in the same room with someone who has the disease. Chickenpox usually causes a rash with itchy sores, tiredness and fever. It can lead to scarring, pneumonia, brain infection or death. Complications occur most often in very young children, adults or people with damaged immune systems.

While most people recover after one week, some do not. Every year in the United States, around 10,000 people are hospitalized and up to 100 people die from complications of chickenpox. 

Vaccine for chickenpox is given in the Var (varicella) to children and adults or in MMRV (measles, mumps, rubella varicella) vaccine to children 12 months through 12 years of age.