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A member asked:
If shingles is caused by chicken pox virus,why do they say let your kid get chicken pox or get the vaccine? wouldnt that increase your risk of shingle
2 doctors weighed in across 2 answers
Yes and no: Chicken pox is a mild disease in a healthy child and is probably one of the ways in which mother nature stimulates the immune system. Shingles is a disease that occurs usually in older people and is a sign that the immune system is not as good as it should be. Good nutrition, exercise and lifestyle are the natural preventive measures throughout life.
Answered 6/2/2014
4k views
Risk benefit ratio: Prior to the vaccine we had about 10,000 hospital admissions & 50 deaths/yr with chickenpox. Deaths have dropped to none in the vaccinated group. The frequency of shingles after the shot is less than that of wild disease. Shingles emerges when the persons immune system fails to keep it in hibernation. Though nasty, it is not a fatal disease but would be more frequent without the vaccine.
Answered 8/27/2017
570 views
Related Questions
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If i had the chicken pox vaccine when i was a baby, can I still get chicken pox from skin contact with someone who has shingles?
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Just curious. 40 Years old, had chicken pox as a child, why do I have to wait until I'm 50 to have the shingles vaccine? Why can't I have it now?
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Is it possible to get shingles if I never had chicken pox?? Or does it always have to be a reactivation of the chicken pox virus? Thanks.
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