Chicken Pox Vaccine Injection

The chickenpox vaccine is a shot that can protect nearly anyone who receives the vaccine from catching chickenpox. It's also called the varicella vaccine, because chickenpox is caused by the varicella-zoster virus. The vaccine is made from a live but weakened, or attenuated, virus.The varicella vaccine is given in two doses. A child should have the first shot at ages 12-18 months.

The second shot should be given at ages 4-6 years.Older children and adults should have two shots, with four to eight weeks between the first and second shot.All medicines have potential side effects. But the side effects associated with the varicella vaccine are generally mild. The most common are pain, redness, or swelling at the injection site. A small percentage of people develop a mild rash, usually around the spot where the shot was given. Severe side effects are very rare.
Anyone who is moderately to severely ill when a chickenpox shot is scheduled should wait until the illness passes before getting the shot. Also, anyone who had an allergic reaction to the first shot should not get the second shot.Other people who should not get the shot include.Pregnant women, because the vaccine's effect on the fetus is not known,Anyone allergic to gelatin; a gelatin-free version of the varicella vaccine is available.Anyone allergic to neomycin,Anyone with an immune system disease,Anyone receiving high doses of steroids,Anyone being treated for cancer with X-rays, drugs, or chemotherapy,Anyone who had a transfusion or received blood products within five months prior to the shot