Chickenpox is a viral infection, so the blood work of patients with chickenpox does not always appear significantly abnormal. When there is a viral infectious disease, blood work can be completely within the normal range for every item. A viral infection can cause an increase in lymphocyte count, but because the increase may not be too pronounced, the total white blood cell count is likely to be within the normal range. If the lymphocyte count is high enough to be significant, the white blood cell count can also appear elevated. So in patients with chickenpox, an increased white blood cell count is usually seen as an increased lymphocyte count. In addition, the white blood cell count also includes neutrophils, which is generally a general way to determine whether there is a bacterial infection. When chickenpox is accompanied by a bacterial infection, the lymphocyte count may be elevated along with the neutrophil count, which can lead to a higher white blood cell count.