Chickenpox Prevention

Chickenpox is a rash caused by a virus. It takes two or three weeks for chickenpox symptoms to appear after a person has been exposed to the virus. Most people get chickenpox in childhood. Chickenpox is common and very contagious. There are about 3 million cases of chickenpox in the United States each year. More than 90 percent of these cases occur in children who are younger than 12 years old.

Innoculizaton

• Even though chickenpox is a very contagious illness, it can be contained and even prevented. But for a person to go through life without getting chickenpox, he must be diligent and lucky.

  One of the best ways to protect yourself from chickenpox is to get the chickenpox vaccine. This vaccine is given to very young children. Although the vaccine decreases the likelihood that a child will get chickenpox, it does not work all the time. This vaccine is successful in about 70 percent to 90 percent of children who receive it.

  However, even if the vaccine does not completely protect you from the chickenpox virus, this does not mean it has not served a purpose. Those who have received the chickenpox vaccine but still get chickenpox often have a milder case that is able to heal faster than normal.

Avoidance

• Avoid people who have chickenpox. This is often easier said than done because a person exposed to chicken pox might not show symptoms for several days. This means you could be around a person who has chickenpox, but simply does not know it. Chickenpox is transmitted from person to person through the air. When a person who has chickenpox sneezes or coughs, someone who is nearby can be exposed to the virus.

  One of the convenient things about chickenpox is that people only get this disease once in their life. After getting the virus, a person's body builds an immunity to the virus.