Can You Get Shingles Even If You Had The Chickenpox Vaccine

That s because the chickenpox vaccine is a live virus vaccine.

Can you get shingles even if you had the chickenpox vaccine.

There s a new and improved shingles vaccine shingrix which is approved for people ages 50 and over even for those who received thefirst shingles vaccine zostavax. Shingrix recommended for everyone age 50 and older whether or not you remember having had chickenpox because most people have been exposed to the virus. The cdc says that doctors need not ask patients if they ever had chickenpox or test for antibodies to it before giving them the shingles vaccine. Kids who were vaccinated against chickenpox had a 78 lower risk of developing shingles the researchers said.

It can reactivate years later and cause shingles. You can get shingles if you have been vaccinated with the chickenpox vaccine even if you have never had a natural chickenpox infection though. Although chickenpox vaccines do contain a weakened version of the live virus which can reactivate later in life and cause shingles this is very rare he said. Even if they don t remember having had chickenpox they should still get the shingles vaccine it wouldn t give them chickenpox.

Chickenpox and shingles are related because they are caused by the same virus varicella zoster virus.