Chickenpox - Varicella Zoster

Chickenpox is an acute, infectious disease caused by the varicella-zoster virus and is most commonly seen in children under 10 years old. This virus can also cause shingles (herpes zoster), which tends to be more prevalent in adults.

Chickenpox is not a notifiable disease in England and Wales. Information about the incidence of chickenpox in the UK is available through two sources: cases reported to the Royal College of General Practitioners by sentinel GP practices in England and Wales (http://www.rcgp.org.uk/bru/index.asp) and in Scotland through statutory notifications (http://www.hps.scot.nhs.uk/).

Since laboratory confirmation of cases of chickenpox is rarely sought as the diagnosis can generally be reliably made on clinical grounds, no laboratory data is available on this website.