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Varicella Research Paper

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Varicella, or more commonly known as chickenpox, is a highly contagious virus that causes itchy red bumps and fluid-filled blisters. It mostly occurs in children younger than 10 and is estimated that only 10% of Americans older than 15 have never had it (CDC, Chickenpox (Varicella). Symptoms include a high fever, loss of appetite, dehydration, intense headaches, and malaise. Once an individual is infected, you are contagious two days before the rash even appears on the skin. You stay contagious until all of the lesions have scabbed and healed over. The infection can be milder as a child, but in many causes it has been severe and even fatal in adults.
It is caused by a herpesvirus called the varicella-zoster virus (VZV). VZV is a part of the

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