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Doctor insights on: Chickenpox Reactivation

Lifetime: As long as you live, the virus stays with you mostly in dormant stage and occasionally flares up. ...Read more

Possibly: Introduced in the late 70's in japan, the current CP vaccine was not adopted in the us until the 90's. There are good data that one dose removes the risk of death with cp, but likely only 85% get protective immunity from 1 dose, with that improving to >95% after 2 doses given at least a month apart. Time will tell if future boosters are needed but with 30+ years of worldwide data it looks good. ...Read more

Yes: chickenpox is very contagious!

Zoster no, c'pox yes: People with their first infection with varicella zoster virus (VZV) (mostly kids w/ chickenpox) are infectious by respiratory secretions -- e.g. coughing on someone who previously never had chickenpox and were not vaccinated against VZV. However, herpes zoster (shingles) dosn't have virus in the respiratory tract -- rarely transmissible except by direct contact with the skin rash. ...Read more

Yes: Chickenpox is highly infectious. Spread throughout households is very common with infection of up to 90% of vulnerable individuals who come into contact. Most infection occurs in those under 5 years of age and immunity increases with age until adulthood. http://patient.info/doctor/chickenpox-pro ...Read more

Maybe,maybe not: The vaccine developed to help suppress shingles has many times the amount of varicella material than the chickenpox vaccine. Simple varicella vaccine use may res-erect some of your waning varicella antibodies and put off shingles but it may just protect you better against wild chickenpox. ...Read more

Both: Varicella and zoster are the same virus. Chickenpox occurs with the first exposure to the virus and zoster is the re-activation of the virus that has been lying dormant in the body as a result of some significant stress to the body. ...Read more

No: These are two different germs and immunity to one does not mean immunity to the other. ...Read more

They are buddies: Varicella-zoster are the responsible parties in chicken pox and shingles. If you have ever had chicken pox or the vaccine there is the possibility of shingles in your lifetime. While chicken pox does not cause shingles it has a clear role in its development. Other precipitating factors will bring out a shingles outbreak such as a viral illness, fatigue, and stress. ...Read more

Yes and no: A small percentage of vaccine recipients can and do break out a week or more after varicella vaccination.This is not the wild chickenpox but a manifestation of the weakened vaccine virus. Most have fewer than a dozen lesions, compared with an average 200-250 with wild chickenpox. Such an event does provide longlasting protection from the wild chickenpox. ...Read more

Yes: Yes it can.

Yes: Its a reactivation of the chicken pox virus. Until all the vesicles have crusted over, you can give it to anyone who hasn't had chicken pox or the vaccine. Avoid exposure to young kids, pegnant, elderly, frail, or folks with lowered immune systems. ...Read more

Yes 1% can get mild: 1% of patients can get a mild form of chicken pox after few days because it is live vaccine. ...Read more

Yes: The shingles vaccine, zostavax, is available to adults in a particular age group. Zostavax helps prevent shingles, but is not completely protective. Some people can still get shingles even though they were vaccinated. Zostavax costs about $250 if not covered by insurance. ...Read more

Yes.: Shingles lesions contain active chicken pox virus, so a child can catch chicken pox if they have direct physical contact with the rash. It does not transmit through the air. If a child has had both recommended doses of chicken pox vaccine, generally given at age 1 and 4, they're likely to be immune. ...Read more

Unlikely an issue: A properly vaccinated kid would have about a 5 % risk of ever getting varicella.Ophthalmic shingles is only contagious through the debris from the lesions, not though droplets like regular chickenpox. If the vaccinated child did not have direct contact with the lesions or debris there would be no risk of infection. ...Read more

Vaccine rash: There are a small percentage of people that will break out in an atypical rash a week or two after receiving the weakened varicella virus injection. This is not true wild chickenpox but a "chickenpox lite" since the weakened virus does not have the same potency.The blisters of wild cpx often average about 200 while with the vaccine rash often has less than 15.Protection from future cpx is assured. ...Read more

Shingles: Shingles (herpes zoster) results as a reactivation of the varicella-zoster virus in patients previously afflicted with chickenpox. It is only contagious to individuals not previously vaccinated against chickenpox or who have an immune deficiency in whom it manifests as chickenpox and not shingles. It is preventable through vaccination. Ask your doctor how you can access the vaccine. Good luck! ...Read more

Typically not: Herpes encephalitis is a rare condition- I do not know it to be contagious- it is very serious and needs to be treated aggressively. ...Read more

I am not sure: What the reference is to developing teeth but chicken pox lesions can become scarred. ...Read more