4. Chickenpox
This viral infection, also known as varicella, often infects children and at one stage it was so prevalent that a chicken pox infection was considered a rite of passage. There are links between this extremely contagious virus and inflammation of the cranial nerve.
Chickenpox produces small, itchy blisters filled with a clear fluid. Permanent scarring may occur if the blisters are scratched and burst. Since the virus is contagious for 48-hours before it presents any symptoms, mass-infections can lead to outbreaks in children that attend nursery schools, where viral outbreaks are bound to happen in close quarters.
It’s rare to contract the chickenpox virus more than once in the course of life and outbreaks are increasingly rare since the development of a vaccine in the mid-1990’s. However, parents that have not been exposed to the virus before may contract the virus through contact with the saliva, skin, or body fluids of their child. The virus has a more severe effect on adults than in children and requires medication and rest for a successful recovery.