Final answer:
A blanket from a child with chickenpox would be considered a fomite, an inanimate object capable of carrying and transferring infectious agents like the Varicella-zoster virus.
Step-by-step explanation:
A blanket from a child with chickenpox is contaminated with the Varicella-zoster virus, which means that the blanket acts as a fomite. A fomite is an inanimate object that can carry infectious agents and transfer them to a new host. In this case, the blanket does not have the ability to actively spread the virus, unlike vectors such as mosquitoes, but can passively transfer the virus to someone who comes into contact with it.
Chickenpox is a common childhood disease characterized by pustular lesions primarily on the trunk and is caused by the Varicella-zoster virus, a member of the herpesvirus family. This virus can lead to more severe infections in adults, including pneumonia and birth defects if a pregnant woman is infected. Additionally, after the primary infection of chickenpox, the virus remains latent in the body and can reactivate later in life as shingles, manifesting as a painful rash typically on one side of the body.