Chickenpox taking them to "chickenpox parties". Doctors counter that children are safer getting the vaccine, which is a weakened form of the virus, rather than getting the disease, which can be fatal. Humans are the only known species that the disease affects naturally. However, chickenpox has been caused in other animals, such as primates, including chimpanzees and gorillas. Chickenpox Chickenpox, also known as varicella, is a highly contagious disease caused by the initial infection with varicella zoster virus (VZV). The disease results in a characteristic skin rash that forms small, itchy blisters, which eventually scab over. It usually starts on the
International Society for Disease Surveillance biosurveillance. Every year, the ISDS conference draws over 350 professionals from a broad range of disciplines to learn the latest achievements, analytic methods, best practices, conceptual frameworks, and technical innovations in the rapidly evolving field of disease surveillance. The ISDS conferences provide fertile ground for cultivating new ideas and partnerships by bringing together local, state, and federal public health practitioners, academic researchers, clinicians, policymakers, and decision makers from governmental and nongovernmental entities. The 12th annual conference was held in December 2013, in New Orleans, LA. The theme for the 2013 conference—Translating Research and Surveillance into Action—highlighted one of the salient