A MAN has died on a family holiday after contracting chicken pox.

Jeff Morgan, 36, died while he was on holiday in Cyprus, with his wife and two daughters.

Mr Morgan, a vehicle mechanic originally from Teesside, did not respond to treatment and lost his fight for life.

His distraught wife, Caroline, suffered further distress when the couple's two children, Amy, four and Faye, two, also developed the disease.

Chicken pox is known to be much more serious in adults than children, but Mr Morgan's family said they had never expected such tragic consequences.

Mr Morgan's mother, Eva, and brother, Steve, from Norton, Stockton, were due to meet the family in Cyprus, but instead found him battling for life.

Steve Morgan said: "We thought it was just a silly illness - we never dreamt anything like this would happen."

Mr Morgan developed pneumonia, induced by the chicken pox infection, and was admitted to hospital.

"We have been assured that everything that could have been done was done, but you don't expect a big healthy man to die from chicken pox," his brother said.

Mr Morgan, who also has another brother, Colin, left college to join the Army and served in the Royal Electrical Engineers for eight years.

He then returned home for a year before moving to Kuwait, to start a new life recently, where he married Caroline.

When Amy and Faye are well enough, Mrs Morgan plans to return to her home and job as a teacher in Kuwait.

* Only five per cent of chicken pox cases occur in adults, but they are five to ten times more likely to have complications.

The most common complications from the disease are pneumonia and respiratory problems.