Household size is critical to varicella-zoster virus transmission in the tropics despite lower viral infectivity

We have combined genetic and demographic data to show that the epidemiology of chickenpox in tropical Guinea Bissau is dependent on the interaction of the social and physical environments. The distinctive clinical presentation of VZV and its ubiquitous distribution make it an attractive model for estimating the variables that contribute to global differences in the transmission of airborne viruses.