Chickenpox (varicella) and shingles (herpes zoster) are distinct diseases caused by the varicella-zoster virus (VZV). The VZV is a herpesvirus.
Chickenpox is a highly contagious rash that usually occurs in childhood. It is the manifestation of a primary infection. Shingles is usually a localized, unilateral (occurs on one side of the body) eruption that follows a linear pattern along a nerve. Shingles is a reactivation of a dormant varicella-zoster virus.
Physician-developed and -monitored.
Original Date of Publication: 03 Sep 2000
Reviewed by: Stanley J. Swierzewski, III, M.D.
Last Reviewed: 04 Dec 2007
Viral Infections, Chickenpox & Shingles - Overview reprinted with permission from dermatologychannel.net
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