The Prevention of Chicken Pox

Chicken pox is a contagious disease caused by the varicella-zoster virus. Once you develop an infection, blisters that can range from the size of a pen head to a dime will develop all over your body. You will also develop an itchy rash. Flu-like symptoms are also common, such as fever, aches and irritability. Some preventative measures, such as getting vaccinated with the chicken pox varicella vaccine, can help to reduce your chances of developing the disease.

Risk Factors

• Chicken pox is a disease that can easily spread, especially among children. You can develop an infection by coming into contact with the rash of an infected person, or when an infected person sneezes or coughs and particles are inhaled by you. According to the Mayo Clinic, you can infect others with chicken pox for up to 48 hours before symptoms become apparent, and still be contagious until your blisters have crusted over. You're also at a higher risk for catching the disease if you've never had chicken pox or have never been vaccinated.

Vaccination

• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention state that vaccination is the best way to prevent infection from chickenpox. Even if the vaccine doesn't completely protect you from the disease, your symptoms and the severity of the disease can be drastically reduced when you're vaccinated. When you're vaccinated and you still develop chicken pox, your symptoms may last only a few days, with fewer skin lesions, in comparison to the chicken pox lasting for weeks and skin lesions that can cover your entire body without being vaccinated.

Young Children

• Children receive two doses of the chicken pox vaccine, known as Varivax. The first dose takes place between the ages of 12 to 15 months. The second dose takes place between 4 to 6 years. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a chicken pox vaccine is required for school-age children. It is important to vaccinate your children to prevent the development of the disease.

Unvaccinated Children

• If your child hasn't had a chicken pox vaccine, it is important to get your child vaccinated. If your child doesn't get vaccinated and they become exposed to someone who has the chicken pox, your child can develop serious complications, such as bacterial skin infections or pneumonia. Children between the ages of 7 and 12 should be vaccinated twice, with a spacing of three months between vaccinations. Children who are 13 and older should also get two vaccinations, with a spacing of four weeks between vaccinations.

Older Adults

• If you have never gotten chicken pox but are at a high risk of developing the disease, get vaccinated. According to the Mayo Clinic, if you're a health-care professional, teacher, childcare worker, someone who travels, are in the military or are a parent, you need to receive two doses of the vaccine. Spacing between vaccinations should be four to eight weeks.

Not Recommended

• If you've already had chicken pox, you don't need to be vaccinated. Exposure to the virus can make you immune to the development of the disease again. Having chicken pox more than once is rare. Women who are pregnant, people who have weakened immune systems (such as HIV/AIDS patients) and people who have an allergic reaction to gelatin or neomycin (which are components of the vaccine) should not get the vaccine.