The chickenpox vaccine works very well in preventing the disease

You can protect your child or teen from chickenpox by making sure they get a simple shot. Other words for "shot" are needle, booster or vaccine.

In Canada:

Children from 1 to 12 years of age get the shot once.

Teens who are 13 years and older get 2 shots, 4 weeks apart.

Adults who have never had chickenpox should get the same number of shots as teens. The brand names of the vaccine are Varivax III (Merck Frosst) and Varilrix (GlaxoSmithKline).

What is chickenpox?

It is an illness caused by the varicella-zoster virus. A virus is a kind of germ that can make people sick.People with chickenpox get an itchy rash or spots on their skin. The spots are like small water blisters. Some people have only a few blisters. Others can have as many as 500. These blisters dry up and form scabs in 4 or 5 days.

Discover How You Can Treat Chickenpox

How is chickenpox spread?

Chickenpox spreads very quickly.

It spreads from person to person through direct contact with the virus. You can get chickenpox if you touch a blister, or the liquid from a blister. You can also get chickenpox if you touch the spit of a person who has chickenpox. The virus can get into your nose or mouth and make you sick also.It can also spread through the air, if you are near someone with chickenpox who is coughing or sneezing.

A pregnant woman with chickenpox can pass it on to her baby before birth.Mothers with chickenpox can also give it to their newborn babies after birth.

How common is chickenpox?

Chickenpox is a very common sickness. Most people get chickenpox by the time they are 15 years old. In Canada, there are about 350,000 new cases each year among children and teens under 15 years of age. The number of cases should go down now that provinces and territories offer chickenpox at 1 year of age.

Chicken Pox Symptoms

Can chickenpox cause bigger problems?

If the blisters get infected, you may end up with scars.

Children with chickenpox may get pneumonia (infection of the lungs) or have problems with other organs inside the body, such as the brain.Babies who get chickenpox from their mothers before birth could be born with birth defects. Some examples of these birth defects are skin scars, eye problems or arms and legs that are not fully formed.Chickenpox can be very severe or even life-threatening to newborn babies, adults and anyone who has a weak immune system.

How safe is the chickenpox vaccine?

It is very safe.

With any vaccine, there may be some redness, swelling or pain at the place where the needle went into the arm or leg.Some people will get a very mild case of chickenpox 1 or 2 weeks after they get the vaccine. They will most likely have less than 50 spots.The chickenpox vaccine can be given at the same time as the MMR (Measles, Mumps, Rubella) vaccine.If you have any questions about the chickenpox vaccine, ask your doctor.

The Importance of Preventing Chicken Pox

Who should NOT have the chickenpox vaccine?

Babies less than 1 year old.

People with weak immune systems and people who are taking drugs to suppress their immune system. (Sometimes these people can get the vaccine, but they should talk to their doctor about this.)Women who are trying to get pregnant. They should talk to their doctor first.People who are allergic to or have had a bad reaction to something in the vaccine.

People who have had chickenpox do not need to get the vaccine. They are most likely immune to it now. If they do get the vaccine, it will not hurt them.