Chickenpox

1. Introduction

This simulation shows the spread of the virus Chickenpox via person-to-person transmission in the isolated population. It analyzes effect of vaccination on the dynamics of an infection with a person-to-person transmission and development of the immunity to the disease.

- Simulation Name: Virus Chickenpox

- Author: Yauheniya Andreyuk

2. Problem definition

Chickenpox, also known as varicella, is a highly contagious disease caused by the initial infection with varicella zoster virus (VZV). Chickenpox is an airborne disease which spreads easily through the coughs and sneezes of an infected person. The condition usually resolves by itself within a couple of weeks. The rash may, however, last for up to one month. After a chickenpox infection, the virus remains dormant in the body's nerve tissues. The immune system keeps the virus at bay, but later in life, usually in an adult, it can be reactivated and cause a different form of the viral infection called shingles.