Fowl Pox vs Chicken Pox

[onthespot]

Is fowl pox the exact same thing as chicken pox, and if a kid is exposed to chickens with pox are they immunized against chicken pox? I don't have kids, and am not trying to mess with "the way things are" with vaccines or anything. Just wondering if FP is the same as CP
Thanks.

 

[dot123]

Nope. I think they are both strains of herpes, but people don't get fowl pox and chickens don't get human chicken pox. When cats get herpes it is an upper respiratory infection- also not transmissible to humans. Herpes is a big family of viruses, most of which are species specific.

I was just wondering this morning if folks used to think they got chicken pox from chickens and that's why we call it chicken pox.

The good news is that your kiddo will not catch pox from your chickens. The bad news he or she won't develop any immunity to human chicken pox until he or she catches it from another human.

 

[ivan3]

The etymology seems to indicate that naming of the disease had its roots in the still alive and well schoolyard taunt:

"Amer.Eng. Chicken pox (c.1730) may be a disparaging name because of their mildness compared to smallpox."

Not a zoonotic vector (no species to species transmission).

Though I'm sure chicken soup might be a nice palliative for one suffering from chicken pox.

 

[onthespot]

thanks all for the info!