I would like to point out, that Zostavax can cause shingles. I was a healthy 64 year old male who received the Zostavax vaccine on 2/5/08. Ten days later, my doctor diagnosed me with "classic shingles". He put me on Valtrex for 7 days and 1 month later was still suffering with red spots on my (right) chest, severe pain in my right arm and shoulder, and severe itching. I notified Merck and my doctor also did! I read Merck's "double blind" studies, and nowhere does it simply say: this vaccine can cause you to contract shingles. I have all the documentation as well as pictures. Please caution anyone who wants to gamble with their health. I don't believe Merck is being as honest as they should regarding the safety of this vaccine.
When chickenpox presents in young children under the age of ten, it usually poses no danger.
However, if a person over the age of ten gets chickenpox, it can be very severe and cause pneumonia, encephalitis, or other serious complications.
Yes, an adult can carry and be affected by chickenpox. When people speak of a "carrier" of an infectious disease, they normally are referring to someone who is carrying the germ, can infect others, but has no symptoms. The period between getting the virus and getting symptoms is called the "incubation period" of an infection. The incubation period of chickenpox is 10-21 days, but is typically about two weeks.
However, chickenpox is a virus in the herpes family that goes into remission after the patient recovers from chickenpox. The virus stays in your body. It is the same virus that causes shingles in some in later years. However, in this period of remission, the patient is not contagious and isn't, technically, a "carrier."
No, an adult should get shingles vaccine if they have previously had chickenpox and would like to lower the risk of shingles.
Adults can catch chicken pox. But most times it can be very painful so its better if you catch it as a child because it wont be as painful.
It has been known to be very serious and contagious in adults and needs to be treated right away by a physician.
It is not dangerous for an adult to get chickenpox vaccine. It can be dangerous, in contrast, for an adult to get chickenpox.
Adults, however, are much more likely than children to suffer dangerous complications. More than half of all chickenpox deaths occur among adults.
Yes, older adults can get chickenpox if they haven't had it before.
90% of adults are immune to chickenpox because it is a highly contagious disease that causes lifelong immunity. Most people got chickenpox as children prior to the approval of chickenpox vaccine.
Chickenpox is not usually fatal, but is more likely to kill teenagers and adults than it is to kill infants and children (see related link). Deaths and hospitalizations from chickenpox have dropped 90% in the US since introduction of chickenpox vaccine in 1995.
It is more dangerous to get chickenpox immediately at birth, when you're older, when you're pregnant, or when you have serious immunocompromise.
Study results reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) indicate that more than 90% of American adults are immune to the chickenpox virus.
adults account for less than 5% of all cases in the United States.
Most people get chickenpox when they are young, which is good. Although children can pull through chicken pox easily, if not uncomfortably, it is much more devastating to adults. Plus, once you have it as a kid, the cells go into remission in your body, your B cells produce antibodies for chickenpox, and there's a extremely high chance that you will never get chickenpox again. But you can get it at any age.
For children, chickenpox is not deadly, but if an adult catches it for the first time, it can be very dangerous. If an adult has a compromised immune system already, chickenpox can be deadly.Sure is.
Typically it is not dangerous for a baby to get chickenpox if the baby is otherwise healthy. Incidentally, babies under the age of 12 months who get chickenpox are more likely to get shingles later in life. Talk to your health care provider for information specific to your situation.
Chickenpox in adulthood does not have a special name. However, shingles is an infection that can result from later reactivation of your lifelong infection with chickenpox virus. It happens most often in adults.
Chickenpox in children and adults is typically throughout the body. Shingles is likely to be found on only one part of the body.