snowbunny

The chicken pox vaccine is called Varivax in the US and can be used to boost immunity.

However, there is a more specific vaccine recommended for folks over 60 to help prevent shingles emergence:

http://www.umm.edu/patiented/article...s_000082_5.htm

It is called Zostavax in the US.

Petals

Bells Palsy is also caused by the same virus, my Dad had this and people think they have had a stroke.

My daughter had whooping cough at 17 and she was vaccinated as a young child so not everyone gets a good enough immune response I suppose.

TiddlyPom

The whole cell pertussis vaccine, (whooping cough) is only around 54% effective in a vaccinated population. In most cases, those that were originally vaccinated can suffer more with it than those that haven't been.

Safin

I was pretty sure that to get shingles you had to already have the virus in your body - ie have already had chicken pox to some degee in the past. I also believed that this shingles virus can be reactivated by stress and other illness ie a weakened immune system allows it to reactivate.

So you can catch chicken pox from shingles but not the other way around

Kassy

My oldest had chicken pox when she was a couple of weeks old (very very mild - just about 4-5 over her entire body) and she had shingeles when she was 5. She was hospitalised and given Zovirax intravenously (and also sedated for a long time). Was simply awful

My second child had the chicken pox vaccine about a year back. Have to find out for how long the vaccine is effective.

Safin

that sounds terrible. My eldest had it when my middle one was 3 months. Dr told me then they couldn't catch it before 3 months as they have natural immunity - obviously a load of **** having heard this. He's since had a terrible bout of it. Looks like youngest will probably miss the experience if its so much rarer here due to the vaccine!

I had chicken Pox as an adult - horrific.

Kassy

Yes, the older you are when you get chicken pox the more severe the attack is. Which is why my daughter had a very mild attack at 6 weeks.

And you're right, you can only get shingles if you have had an attack of chicken pox previously. The doctor told us this as well.