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Varicella-Zoster Virus (VZV) is one of most common viruses to infect humans. It is found all over the world, and there do not seem to be any immune populations. The initial infection manifests itself as chickenpox (AKA varicella), and reactivation of the virus appears as shingles (AKA zoster).

In the initial stage, VZV has an incubation period of about 14 days, after which pustular lesions appear in waves for about five days. These lesions can be painful but are usually classified as just "itchy." After five days no new spots appear (except in immunosuppressed individuals), and the old spots eventually crust over and disappear. The virus, however, does not. It becomes latent in sensory ganglia cells until a time when the host become immunosuppressed for whatever reason. The virus then reactivates in a single ganglia and manifest as an isolated patch of lesions which may be very painful. Postherpetic neuralgia (pain that may linger for several months in the area of the infection) is a very common complication of shingles.

VZV is one of the most infectious viruses known, so there is very little that can be done to prevent infection. In fact, since chickenpox is, for some unknown reason, much more severe in adolescents and adults, before a vaccine was developed many families would intentionally expose their young children to an infected individual. Now there is a very good vaccine, the varicella vaccine, which is given as part of the universal pediatric vaccination schedule.