Raise your hand if you’ve had chickenpox. I sort of had it twice — my father had it when I was a baby, and my parents tell me I had the rash on my rump. I had it again a few years later, and suffered through the itching by getting painted with calamine lotion.
Chickenpox (varicella) is a very common childhood disease; it seems to get harder to deal with as the patient gets older. The disease is most dangerous to infants and adults — as many as 100 people die because of chickenpox here in the U.S. Around twelve thousand people in the U.S. are hospitalized each year because of the virus.
Wouldn’t it be easier to prevent chickenpox entirely? The virus can be spread through the air, or by contact with fluid from the chickenpox blisters. The varicella vaccine can prevent chickenpox in most people; people who are vaccinated that do get chickenpox often have a very mild case that clears up quickly.
The vaccine is a one time dose if you are under the age of 13 and a two stage vaccine if you are older than 13. It can be given any time after a person is one year old if they have never had chickenpox. Twenty to thirty percent of people report soreness or swelling at the injection site — this is the most common reaction to the vaccine. Ten percent of people develop a mild fever and only five percent of people develop a rash at the injection site.
Severe allergic reactions are extremely rare. Signs of a severe reaction include high fever, behavior changes, difficulty breathing, dizziness, and hives. If you do experience any of these symptoms after a varicella vaccine, call your doctor immediately.
You should not have the chickenpox vaccine if:
- You are under 12 months of age.
- You have ever had a severe allergic reaction to gelatin or the antibiotic neomycin.
- You are severely ill. Wait until you are feeling well to get the vaccine.
- You are pregnant or trying to get pregnant. Women should get the vaccine one month before getting pregnant or wait until after giving birth.
Ask your doctor about the chickenpox vaccine if you have a disease that affects your immune system, like HIV or AIDS, or other serious health issues.