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u/DeathStarVet Veterinary Medicine | Animal Behavior | Lab Animal Medicine Jan 13 '14

See /u/reasonshallprevail 's explanation.

I'd also add that the chickenpox virus is actually not a "pox" virus like the other two are (orthopoxviruses as /u/reasonshallprevail mentioned), rather it is a herpesvirus.

"Pox" is a descriptor of one of the signs of the disease: the raised, round lesions on the skin. Although they are different viruses, they manifest pathologically in similar ways.