If I had the chicken pox when I was young can I get it again from my child?

Question

My child has contracted the chicken pox from the chicken pox vaccine. I, am of course, touching him, kissing him, getting spit on, he has put his hands in my mouth. Is it possible for me to get the chicken pox again? Should I not be having such close contact? He is only 1, so it is hard to not love and take care of hime when he is not feeling well. Any thoughts?

Answer 1

Yes, you can get shingles (the adult version of chicken pox), but not from your child. Shingles are caused by the same virus that causes chicken pox (varicella-zoster), but the outbreak comes from reactivation of the virus that was dormant in your body. If you do have an outbreak, you can infect someone who hasn't had chicken pox. Shingles can be very painful.

Answer 2

No .... once you had the chicken pox .... then ... you can no longer "get that" again. So, in your case, you're OK. Once your child is cleared up of the chicken pox, they'll no longer need to be concerned about it.
For a more detailed answer:
Typically, chicken pox begins with a low fever, headache, rash, and a general feeling of sickness, or malaise. The rash, which usually covers the face, scalp, and trunk of the body, starts as red bumps but quickly develops into small blisters. The rash and the blisters are extremely itchy. As the disease progresses, the blisters break open and form scabs, which fall off after about one to two weeks. The incubation period—the time between initial infection and the first appearance of symptoms—is approximately two weeks.

Chicken pox is caused by varicella-zoster virus, a type of herpes virus. The virus spreads through the air via infected droplets emitted from the nose or mouth while coughing or sneezing. Touching the fluid from a chicken pox blister can also spread the disease. Chicken pox is contagious for approximately seven days during a person’s period of infection. Contagiousness begins about two days before symptoms appear and continues until all blisters have formed scabs. Doctors recommend keeping the infected person isolated from others during those seven days.

Chicken pox is usually much milder in children, for whom hospitalization is usually not required, than it is in adults. However, in children whose immune systems are weakened from such diseases as cancer or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), the disease can be severe.

Contracting chicken pox provides immunity, or lifelong resistance, against the disease. However, after the symptoms disappear, the virus remains in the body's nerve cells and occasionally reactivates later in life, causing a disease known as shingles, an infection of the nerve fibers. Shingles usually occurs in people over 50, due to an age-related weakening of the immune system, and causes pain, burning, itching, inflammation, and blisters.

Treatment of chicken pox is usually limited to bed rest, acetaminophen for relief of fever and discomfort, and measures that soothe the itching, including lukewarm baths and application of topical medicines such as calamine lotion. Excessive scratching can cause infection of blisters, which can lead to scarring. Acyclovir, an antiviral drug, is used to treat severe cases of chicken pox, particularly in patients with a weakened immune system.

A child or adolescent with chicken pox should never be given aspirin or other salicylates because of the possible link to Reye's syndrome, a disease that develops only after a viral infection, characterized by high fever, vomiting, liver dysfunction, and swelling of the brain. Although Reye's syndrome is rare, it is life threatening.

In 1995 the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the first vaccine for chicken pox for use in healthy children 12 months and older, as well as in adolescents and adults not yet exposed to the disease. The FDA has predicted that the vaccine will be 70 to 90 percent effective in preventing chicken pox, and that the people who still contract the disease will experience it in a milder form. Scientists are not yet certain whether the vaccine will protect a person for a lifetime, or whether a person’s immunity will lessen over time. Diminished immunity may cause people who were vaccinated as children to contract the disease as adults. A study is now underway to determine the vaccine's long-term effectiveness and the possible need for booster shots.

I hope this helps.

Answer 3

You should not get the chicken pox again. Some people do not develop immunities. There is a simple blood test that can be done if you are really concerned. Ask your physician.

I had to have the test done for a job.

Answer 4

chicken pox is caused by the varicella zoster virus and as such it actually has a latent phase,meaning you are asymptomatic but it's still in your system.
if you have had chicken pox as a child then your body has already produced antibodies to counter it.
but if there are viruses which stayed in your nervous system (specially in your thoracic/rib area) it may reactivate itself once again if your immunity was compromised.it will now be called as herpes zoster and it's more painful than chicken pox so i believe the best way for you to avoid recontracting the virus is for you to make sure that your immunity is intact (resistance to these viruses).

Answer 5

When you had the chicken pox, your body learned to fight it, and kept some cells that remember the virus (memory B cells). Now that you've encountered it again your body already knows what to do, so no you can't get it from your son.

Answer 6

If you already had chicken pox, I dont think that you can get it again. Although, I have heard of people that get it twice, but I think youll be fine. Just keep giving lots of love to your baby.

Answer 7

If you've had chicken pox then you're immune. I suppose it's possible that you could get a mild case of shingles; but, even that is unlikely.

Answer 8

I had chicken pox when I was little and when both my sons got it, I didn't. Don't worry, just love and cuddle your baby all you want!! That's the best medicine for him.

Answer 9

It's highly unlikely that you get chicken pox more than one time in your life. I think your safe.

Answer 10

If you have a very mild case when you were a kid you could possibly get them again, but I wouldn't worry about it too much. If you are truly concerned then as the other person said you can get a test for the antibodies from your doc.