Clinical Manifestations of Varicella and Herpes Zoster and the Immune Response to Varicella-Zoster Virus

Fifty years ago, Bullow and Wishik observed that chickenpox is “the disease of childhood which is taken least seriously by the laity and by the medical profession.” ¹ Their description of the complications of primary infection with varicella-zoster virus (VZV) which was published in 1935 does not differ substantially from the analysis of the morbidity and mortality of varicella among previously healthy children reported by Fleisher et al. in 1981. ² Varicella was and is usually a benign exanthem of childhood but its clinical consequences must now be considered in a population which is largely protected against other systemic viral infections such as smallpox and measles. ³