The varicella vaccine (Varivax) is predicted to be 70 to 90 percent effective in preventing the disease This vaccine is generally recommended for toddlers between ages 12 to 18 months who have not had chicken pox, as well as older children, adolescents, and adults who may be exposed.

• Chickenpox vaccine may be given at the same time as other vaccines.
• Most children between 12 and 18 months of age group should have one dose of chickenpox vaccine.
• Many doctors will give the vaccine at 11 or 12 years of age to children in need. However, vaccine may be given any time between 19 months and 12 years. Your doctor or clinic can tell you whether your child should be vaccinated.
• Some people 13 or older who have not had chickenpox or gotten chickenpox vaccine should get two doses of the vaccine 4 to 8 weeks apart

Persons with weakened immune systems and those with life-threatening allergies to gelatin or the antibiotic neomycin should not receive this vaccine. Pregnant women should not receive this vaccine.

Chickenpox is normally a mild disease. But it can be serious and can lead to complications. Many cases of chickenpox are mild, but death from this disease can occur.

• The most common complication is bacterial infection of the skin infections which can involve many sites of the body including the skin, bone and blood.
• Chickenpox may also lead to pneumonia.
• Inflammation of the brain (encephalitis) may occur that can be very serious.
• Balance problems related to infection of a specific part of the brain (cerebellitis) may occur.
• A common complication of chickenpox is a transient hepatitis, or inflammation of the liver.
• Chicken pox acquired during pregnancy causes an increase risk of complications to the mother and the infant. The time of infection, during early pregnancy or near delivery, determines the risk to mother and child.

People who get the virus often develop a rash of spots that look like blisters all over their bodies. These blisters develop into cloudy sores, which finally become dry brown crusts. . The disease typically makes children tired and slightly feverish. Winter and spring are the most common times of the year for chickenpox to occur.

• The illness can be communicated through the air by droplets and can spread easily from person to person by direct contact or through the air from an infected person’s coughing or sneezing.
• Activities such as laughing with and talking to an infected individual are sufficient to transmit the viral particles.
• You can also get it if you touch the fluid from a chickenpox blister.
• It also can be transmitted indirectly by contact with articles of clothing and other items exposed to fresh drainage from open sores.
• You can also get it by sharing eating utensils, food, smoking materials or allow others to drink after you.

It is also possible to get chicken pox more than once, but it’s rare and usually a little different the second time around. It’s called shingles. Once a person gets chicken pox, the virus remains in the body forever and can reappear as a secondary outbreak, called shingles, later in life.

People who are given the vaccination can still get it after the vaccination but not as severely. Vaccinated persons who get chickenpox generally have fewer than 50 spots or bumps, which may resemble bug bites more than typical, fluid-filled chickenpox blisters.

If you get the vaccine and you don’t develop the blisters you risk the chance of getting them when you are older, which for pregnant women and the elderly are life threatening. It is safer to get this as a child then as an adult.