- Actress Angelina Jolie will miss her premiere due to a case of the chickenpox
- It's good that she is staying home since the virus is highly contagious
- Spreads by air; dangerous to adults who haven't had it before or who haven't been vaccinated
(CNN) -- Actress Angelina Jolie is missing the premiere of her own film Unbroken because she says she has been diagnosed with chickenpox.
She made the announcement in a video in which pink spots were visible on her face, neck and upper body.
"I just wanted to be clear and honest about why I will be missing the 'Unbroken' events in the next few days, which is that I found out last night that I have chickenpox. So, I will be home itching and missing everyone. And I can't believe it 'cause this film means so much to me," she says in the video published to Universal Studios Entertainment's verified Facebook page on Friday.
Chickenpox is a highly contagious disease. It is caused by the varicella zoster virus.
On Friday, October 10, Britain's Queen Elizabeth II made Angelina Jolie an honorary dame for her work to root out sexual violence in war zones. While Jolie is now known for her humanitarian works and action movies, she has been in the spotlight since she was a child. Here's a look at her life. 
Jolie hugs her father, actor Jon Voight, in Los Angeles in 1980. Her brother, James, is at left. 
Jolie, then 15, poses for a photo in January 1991. 
Jolie and Voight are seen in an undated photo. 
Jolie attends an event in New York City, circa 1998. 
Jolie appears at the Golden Globe Awards in January 2000. She won best supporting actress for her role in the film "Girl, Interrupted." 
Jolie and her husband at the time, Billy Bob Thornton, appear at the premiere of her film "Gone in 60 Seconds" in June 2000. They divorced in 2003. 
Jolie and her mother, actress Marcheline Bertrand, are photographed at the premiere of Jolie's film "Original Sin" in July 2001. Bertrand died of ovarian cancer in January 2007. 
Jolie distributes balls to children at the Tham Hin refugee camp, on the Thailand-Myanmar border, in May 2002. She was a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees before she became a special envoy for the agency in 2012. 
Jolie carries her son Maddox at the world premiere of "Shark Tale" in September 2004. 
Jolie appears on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" in March 2004. 
Jolie attends the German premiere of "Alexander" in December 2004. 
As part of her role as goodwill ambassador, Jolie speaks with Pakistani Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz in Islamabad, Pakistan, in May 2005. 
Producer Arnon Milchan centers Jolie and Pitt at the premiere of "Mr. & Mrs. Smith" in June 2005. 
Jolie and Pitt appear at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2008. 
Jolie greets fans at the Russian premiere of her film "Salt" in July 2010. 
Jolie walks with four of her children -- from left, Maddox, Zahara, Pax and Shiloh -- at Japan's Narita International Airport in July 2010. 
Jolie appears at the Golden Globe Awards in January 2011. 
Jolie and Pitt appear at the Screen Actors Guild Awards in January 2012. 
Jolie meets Syrian refugees in Lebanon's Bekaa Valley in September 2012. 
Jolie appears at an April 2013 news conference in London about sexual violence against women in conflict. 
In May 2013, Jolie announced in a New York Times op-ed that she underwent a preventive double mastectomy after learning that she carries a mutation of the BRCA1 gene, which sharply increases her risk of developing breast and ovarian cancer. Here, in June 2013, she makes her first red carpet appearance since the surgery, attending the London premiere of Pitt's movie "World War Z." 
Jolie accepts the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award in November, during the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' Governors Awards ceremony. 
In the 2014 film "Maleficent," Jolie plays an evil sorceress who tells her side of the story. The movie opened at No. 1 and earned $69.4 million in its first weekend in U.S. theaters. Photos: Life of Angelina Jolie 
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Jolie: I'm very open with my children Babies who don't get vaccine still benefit
The virus causes an itchy blister-like rash that can be dangerous, particularly for people who get it late in life.
It is an airborne virus, so that means it can spread by breathing in the virus particles that come from the chicken pox blisters.
Chickenpox has become more rare since so many children have been vaccinated for it. The vaccine first became available in 1995.
Prior to availability of the vaccine, about 4 million people would catch it each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About 100 to 150 died each year. More than half of those deaths involved adults. For adults who get chickenpox, there can be more serious complications like pneumonia. It can also be more severe for infants who get it.
For most people, especially for otherwise healthy children, it is a mild disease.
Other symptoms include a loss of appetite, headache, tiredness and fever.
Angelina Jolie fascinating photograph
If you've been vaccinated for it you should be immune. Typically, children get a first round of the vaccine when they are 12 to 15 months old. They get a second dose between the age of 4 and 6.
If you've had chickenpox before, you should have immunity for life.
If you haven't had it, and you haven't been vaccinated, it is not too late. The CDC suggests even as an adult you should talk to your doctor about getting the vaccine.
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