About 90 percent of unvaccinated household contacts of an infected person will catch chickenpox. Which Adults Need Chickenpox Vaccine? All adults who never received the chickenpox vaccine and never had the chickenpox. Adults who are at higher risk of exposure should especially consider vaccination. They include healthcare workers, college students, teachers, and daycare workers. Some complications include:. If a pregnant woman develops chickenpox, she and her unborn child are at risk for serious complications including:.
If you have chickenpox, your doctor will treat the symptoms and let the disease run its course. Recommendations typically include:. In certain circumstances, your doctor may also prescribe drugs such as acyclovir or valacyclovir to combat the virus and prevent complications. Your doctor will recommend the chickenpox vaccine if they believe the risks associated with it are much lower than the risks associated with the disease itself.
While some people may develop a low-grade fever or mild rash after being injected with the chickenpox vaccine, the most common side effects are redness, swelling , or soreness at the vaccination site. Other very rare severe side effects include:. It never goes away and it can lie dormant for years. Shingles is a painful viral infection that is characterized by a blistering skin rash that forms in a band in a specific location of the body. It most often appears on the left or right side of your torso, sometimes around one eye or on one side of the face or neck.
Shingles is most likely to appear in older adults and people with weakened immune systems. Two shingles vaccines — Zostavax and Shingrix — are available and many doctors recommend them for their patients who have had chickenpox and are age 50 and older. Have you had chickenpox? Have you received the chickenpox vaccine? Keep fingernails short to decrease the likelihood of scratching.
Complications can happen from chickenpox. They are more common in adults and people with weak immune systems. Complications may include:. If your symptoms get worse or you have new symptoms, call your healthcare provider. You should tell your provider as quickly as possible if you get these symptoms:. Health Home Conditions and Diseases. What causes chickenpox? Who is at risk for chickenpox?
Most people who have had chickenpox will be immune to the disease for the rest of their lives. However, the virus remains inactive in nerve tissue and may reactivate later in life causing shingles.
Very rarely, a second case of chickenpox does happen. Blood tests can confirm immunity to chickenpox in people who are unsure if they have had the disease. What are the symptoms of chickenpox? Symptoms may include: Fatigue and irritability one to two days before the rash begins Itchy rash on the trunk, face, scalp, under the armpits, on the upper arms and legs, and inside the mouth. The rash appears in several crops.
It starts as flat red spots and progresses to raised red bumps that then become blisters. Feeling ill Decreased appetite The initial symptoms of chickenpox may resemble other infections.
How is chickenpox diagnosed? The rash usually shows up on your stomach, back, and face, and then can spread to your entire body. According to the CDC, chickenpox can cause between to itchy blisters that dry up and form scabs in four or five days, and it can be especially serious in babies, adults, and people with weakened immune systems.
Even cases without complications are more disruptive for adults vs. Richard Watkins, M. Not only that, having chickenpox opens you up to the possibility of getting shingles later in life, which is a painful rash caused by a reactivation of the chickenpox virus. Before children were routinely vaccinated for chickenpox, virtually all people were infected by the time they became adults, according to Mayo Clinic.
However the number of cases of chickenpox and hospitalizations due to the disease are down dramatically due to the chickenpox vaccine.
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