MINNEAPOLIS - They're itchy, blister-like red bumps all over, and the rash comes with a fever, headache, and cough.
Yeah, that's chickenpox.
"Chickenpox is very contagious, in fact, if one person has it in the house up to 90 percent of the time somebody else will get it within the house," said Dr. Allison Golnik, a pediatrician with Fairview Health Services.
That's because it's passed through the air and from touch. The thought used to be - everyone got the chickenpox once in their life. Only that's changed.
"In 1995, a vaccine came out that prevents against chickenpox," said Dr. Golnik.
That vaccine is given twice: once at one year old and then again before kindergarten. Since the mid-90s, the Minnesota Department of Health calculates that the number of cases of chickenpox has dropped drastically. All students in Minnesota have to get the shots, unless they get a medical or religious exemption.
"If you're not vaccinated against it you're more likely to get the illness and also to get complications," said Dr. Golnik.
Complications like pneumonia, a significant skin infection, or even a brain infection. Doctors say - there are no side effects with the vaccine and it works.
"The vaccine is really 100 percent effective against severe disease and all of us doctors have seen kids who have suffered from significant complications from chickenpox," said Dr. Golnik.