Because there is a vaccine (called Varivax) available, chickenpox is relatively easy to prevent. The American Medical Association (AMA) recommends vaccination for children at 12 to 18 months of age and again between ages 4 and 6 years. The AMA also recommends that anyone older than 12 years who has not been vaccinated (or had chickenpox) should also be vaccinated. The vaccine is nearly 90% effective when given to young children, and when a vaccinated person does get chickenpox, it is usually a mild, short case without complications.

If you’ve had chickenpox, you don’t need the vaccine. Your previous exposure to the varicella zoster virus means you are immune from infection again, usually for life. In rare cases, someone who has had chickenpox before will get it again but it is very unlikely. However, if you have had chickenpox, you can have a re-emergence of the varicella virus in your body which causes a painful condition called shingles. There is a shingles vaccine (Zostavax) that can help prevent shingles in adults age 60 and older who have had chickenpox.