Thread: Is there a vaccine for chickenpox?...?

And was it widely available in the USA in the late 80's?
I've never had the chickenpox and I'm 25 and every so often I worry, but my mother said I might have been vaccinated against it...
I don't live in the USA anymore and for some reason I don't think my medical records came with us here. That's why I was wondering if it was a commonplace vaccine for children to get in that time period?

Thanks for any answers~

yes. i believe it has been available since 1974. i have gotten it, but you should go to your doctor and get it or have them see if you have gotten it. i would get it to make sure. hope this helped.

The vaccine is called the varicella vaccine. It used to be common to only give one administration of the vaccine until about 10 years ago when they discovered that a second dose greatly boosted the immune system's response.

If you really want to know whether or not you have an immunity to chicken pox, you can have a titer test (blood draw) performed which will indicate whether or not you have developed the immunity.

You can get both shots even as an adult, and they will be given between 4-8 weeks apart.

Getting the vaccine has side effects, one of which is getting a mild case of chicken pox which is not fun at all as an adult. No one knows how long the immunity lasts, and immunity will vary from one person to another. The vax was not on the AAP schedule until 1994.

Package Insert - always read this befoer getting a vaccine...http://www.merck.com/product/usa/pi_...varivax_pi.pdf
It is a live vaccine. Make sure you avoid immunosuppressed persons for a month after your vaccination. You can share this disease with them and it can kill them. That is the advice of every oncologist with whom I have worked.

It's called the varicella vaccine.

The vaccine didn't come out until the mid 90s in the U.S. It was licensed for widespread use in Japan in 1988.

Immunity lasts at least 20 years, but may be indefinite: http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/94/4/524

About 1% of people develop a mild rash of about 5 or 6 blisters, with no fever. Worth the risk? I think so.

There is a chicken pox vaccine but you probably too young to have gotten it.

If you haven't had chicken pox, I strongly advise you have the vaccine. The risks of chicken pox are greater in adults and chicken pox during the early stages of pregnancy can be a disaster for the fetus.

Edit: Ignore the medically illiterate antivaxxer.
The risks of chicken pox are far greater than that of the vaccine. Especially in adults.

"It is a live vaccine. Make sure you avoid immunosuppressed persons for a month after your vaccination. You can share this disease with them and it can kill them. "

You've completely undermined your own argument. Widespread vaccination reduces the risk of exposure to infection for persons who cannot be vaccinated due to certain illnesses, including immunosupression. Being around immunosupressed people is a very good reason to have the vaccine!

Obviously, if you develop a mild form of chicken pox avoid contact with them until symptoms have passed.

Yes. It's called varicella vaccine. Varilrix by Glaxosmithkline. I recently got it. It was totally safe but hurts a very slight bit where it is administered for abt 1 week. Totally durable, no need for painkillers.