Understanding the Contagiousness and Transmission of Chicken Pox

5. Fever

Fever is one of the prodromal signs of any viral infection. Prodromal signs are usually flu-like symptoms that occur before the rash. They are non-specific and don't pinpoint to a varicella zoster virus infection. However, they indicate that a virus is present in the bloodstream. The fever associated with chicken pox is typically low grade. This means that the body temperature is elevated but remains less than 100.4 F. High fever of 103 F and up is a sign of a secondary bacterial infection.