Barbara Walters will return to "The View" on March 4 after
recovering for more than a month from the chicken pox and a concussion she sustained after a fall at a party during inauguration weekend.
Walters, 83, announced her return via a call-in to Tuesday's live taping of "The View," the talk show she created.
"Like it or not, I'm coming back on the show again," she said. "No more chicken pox. I haven't been contagious for a while, but they wanted me to have rest, and I've had enough rest and I'm ready to come back."
The veteran ABC News journalist was briefly hospitalized in January after falling and cutting her temple at the British ambassador's house during an inauguration party. A week later, her "View" co-host Whoopi Goldberg announced on the show that Walters was being treated for chicken pox.
"We want to give you an update on Barbara," Goldberg said at the time. "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. 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."
Though adults usually don't catch chicken pox thanks to a vaccine developed in 1995, it must be taken seriously because of the increased risk of complications.
"Adults have an increased risk of complications, including pneumonia, brain inflammation and bacterial skin infections," Dr. Richard Besser, ABC News' chief health and medical editor, told "Good Morning America." "If you think you never had chicken pox, regardless of your age, see your doctor to talk about whether you should get vaccinated."
Chickenpox typically results in blister-like rashes, itching, and fatigue. Only 5 percent of those who get chickenpox are adults, but they account for 33 percent of hospitalizations and a disproportionate number of deaths compared to children, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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