Chicken pox vaccine side effects

Chickenpox vaccine and the main facts

This vaccine can provide permanent resistance to chickenpox and the protection from the serious consequences that are possible and might even be life threatening. In very rare cases does a person who has received this vaccine get chickenpox. This disease manifests through very mild symptoms and goes away rather easily and in a very short period of time. The Varicella vaccine was officially approved by the FDA some 15 years ago, and it is widely available today. This is why all children between 12 and 18 months should have one dose of this vaccine, as well as those between 19 months and 13 years old who have not had chickenpox. On the other hand, those who are older than 13 and haven’t had this infection should get two doses, while children who had chickenpox do not need this vaccine, since they are now immuned.

Chickenpox or varicella vaccine and possible side effects

Just as with medications, the same goes for vaccines – none of them is 100 % free of side effects, which means that all of them can cause certain unwanted symptoms and reactions. When it comes to chickenpox vaccine, the fact is that, it is generally tolerated well, and it does not cause side effects frequently, particularly not those that are serious in nature. The side effects that might be a bit more common are very mild, and in comparison to the symptoms that the disease might provoke, they are minor. Among them is some mild discomfort or swelling at the vaccination spot and according to some statistics, it occurs in every fifth child and in every third adolescent or adult. Fever is also a possible side effect, but it has been reported in every tenth person, while mild rash that has a tendency to occur even one month after the vaccination has been present in every twentieth person. As for this rash, it can be contagious.

Much rarer side effects, though much more serious in nature, are pneumonia, signs of a serious allergic reaction, high fever, seizures, and changes in the behavior. In these situations, it is necessary to contact the doctor as soon as possible because medical help is absolutely needed. There is a group of people who should not get this vaccine and among them are pregnant women, those with compromised immune system, and those who have been exposed to the varicella virus less for than three weeks.