Barbara Walters recovering from chicken pox

'The View' co-host reportedly never had the disease as a child.

Mon, Jan 28 2013 at 3:25 PM

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Celebs, Healthy Living

Photo: INFphoto.com

After a lifetime of avoiding one of the world's most contagious, airborne diseases, Barbara Walters' luck last week finally ran out.

According to doctors, the 83-year-old co-host of "The View" contracted the chicken pox recently after a fall sent her to the hospital during the weekend of President Barack Obama's inauguration.

"We want to give you an update on Barbara. You all know that she fell and cut her head 10 days ago, and then was running a temperature, but it turns out it is all the result of a delayed childhood [illness]. Barbara has the chicken pox. She'd never had it as a child. So now she's been told to rest, she's not allowed any visitors. and we're telling you, Barbara, no scratching," Whoopi Goldberg said on "The View" today.

She added: "We love you. We miss you. We just don't want to hug you."

While children are the most likely to contract chicken pox, adults, newborns and those with compromised immune systems are actually at the greatest risk of developing complications. Shingles, bacteria infections, respiratory issues, and neurologic complications land an estimated 14,000 people suffering from the disease in hospitals, with up to 100 dying annually.

Experts from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend that those adults who did not have chicken pox as a child receive a vaccine to prevent future issues. According to the Mayo Clinic, side effects are generally mild and include redness, soreness, swelling and, rarely, small bumps at the site of the shot.

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Comment: 1

Tarrant Jan 29 2013 at 9:39 AM

Oh dear! I avoided them as a child too. My sister got them when I was in high school and I can't remember what was going on in the High School calendar but I avoided her like the plague so I wouldn't miss whatever. Instead I ended up getting them when my son was six months old. So did my grad student husband who had the problem that his data for his dissertation came the same day he broke out in chicken pox. We were all miserable. I missed a lot of work (and I was the primary earner). My son had

.... More

an especially bad case. Our girls were vaccinated but one of them had a very mild case at one point. I hope that Barbara heals fast and well. I suspect her case will be especially rough since she is older.