What is the Varicella vaccine?
Chicken pox was once a common childhood virus and now is combated with the Varicella vaccine. The Varicella vaccine is used for the prevention and control of chickenpox as well as a defense against shingles which is a dormant virus within unvaccinated adults. In the United States the Varicella vaccine is administered in early childhood.
When traveling it is important to review your vaccination history and talk with a professional at MyConciergeMD to receive more information about the vaccination as it is a highly contagious disease that can lead to extreme discomfort.
What the vaccine protects against:
The Varicella vaccine is used as an effective and preventative measure against the Varicella zoster virus (VZV) virus responsible for the chickenpox. Developed as a herpesvirus, VZV reproduces in the lungs, causing itchy red bumps, blisters, fever, fatigue, sore throat, swollen lymph nodes, loss of appetite. The virus is easily preventable with a proper vaccination.
Herpes zoster, or shingles, is the reactivation of VZV primarily in adults and can be brought on by stress or other environmental conditions. Shingles begins with symptoms including: headache and flu-like symptoms and can be absent of a fever. During the active stage, a painful rash develops on either the left or right side of the body.