Chicken pox is a highly infectious skin disease caused by virus. The virus is called the varicella-zoster virus. Once a person is exposed to the chickenpox virus, it takes between 2 and 3 weeks before the symptoms appear. Chickenpox usually occurs in childhood. Chickenpox is usually more severe in adults and very young infants than children.

The symptoms of chickenpox vary from individual to individual. Symptoms tend to appear 14 to 16 days after the initial exposure but can occur any time from 10 days up to 21 days after contact with the virus. The most common symptoms of chickenpox are following:

1. Children sometimes have a fever, malaise, and mild abdominal pain for 1 to 2 days.
2. The fever lasts about 2 to 4 days. The fever with chicken pox usually ranges from 100 to 102 degrees Fahrenheit, but may be as high as 106 degrees in some cases.
3. The rash typically appears. Common sites for the rash include the face, scalp, chest and back. The rash can also spread across your entire body, even into your throat, eyes and vagina. New spots continue to appear for several days.
4. Chicken pox crusts that are scratched off or infected may lead to scars.
5. Children with chicken pox usually loss their appetite.
6. Bacterial infection of the skin is the most common complication of chicken pox. Rare complications of chicken pox include pneumonia and encephalitis (swelling of the brain).