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Chickenpox (varicella) is a contagious illness that is caused by a type of herpes virus.

Symptoms include a fever, a generally ill feeling, and the development of a widely scattered, itchy rash of red spots and fluid-filled blisters. It takes about 1 or 2 days for a chickenpox red spot (macule) to go through all of its stages. It will blister, burst, dry, and crust over.