I had a very bad case of chicken pox as a child. It didn't stop me getting shingles 40 years later.

yes ... sometimes several times

They come from the same virus. I think to get shingles you need to have either had chickenpox or a vaccination for it.

According to the Cleveland Clinic, you can get shingles if you've had the vaccine, but with significantly reduced incidence vs. the chicken pox itself. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/treatments/22996-shingles-vaccine#:~:text=Some%20people%20get%20shingles%20years,vaccine%20than%20after%20having%20chickenpox.

38 in 100,000 vs. 170 in 100,000 https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/two-for-one-chickenpox-vaccine-lowers-shingles-risk-in-children/

I had chicken pox in pre-vaccine days and I have had the shingles vaccine.

You don't want Shingles. Most horrible thing you can experience. I still have nerve pain on my scalp from Shingles three years ago.

I had Chickenpox as a child.

When you get chicken pox the virus does not go away but recedes into your nervous system and is ready to pop back out again as shingles. This typically happens when you are very stressed or just old with a weak immune system. Getting shingles doesn't keep you from getting it again. Reoccurrences are frequent. Getting vaccinated for shingles with the two part vaccine will keep you from getting shingles for many years but like the first shingles vaccine will probably have to be repeated. The jury is still out on that last time I checked. Still it is very effective.

Because the weak though live Chicken Pox vaccine is very effective and almost everyone will not actually get chicken pox people who get the vaccine don't get Chicken pox and so aren't at risk for shingles. The tiny percentage of kids for whom the vaccine didn't work who do get chicken pox are as susceptible to getting shingles as the rest of us old folks who didn't have a vaccine available and who got chicken pox.

It's not as common as in those who've had chickenpox but the answer is yes. People who have had chickenpox get shingles and so do many who have had the chickenpox vaccine. The shingles vaccine isn't 100 hundred percent but it does have a decently high efficacy rate.

Yes there can be nerve pain even years after having shingles. I've had shingles twice within 3 or 4 months some years back. I still get a tingle of "pain" now and then. But it's only momentary. I had them on one side of my scalp and forehead the first time. The second time was on the back near my ribcage and a bit on the side.

There is a SHINGLES vaccine because once you have had pox you could get shingles. The cause is the pox still in you!!! Kids are supposed to not get shingles if they've never had pox. Soooo a vaccinated person against chicken pox, never getting chicken pox they believe will not get shingles. Truth is this is all very new in the relm of humans/disease over time.....

Yes - unless there is some medical reason why you can't receive the vaccine. Currently Shingrix is a series of 2 shots. Both chicken pox and shingles are caused by the same virus. If you've had chicken pox the virus remains dormant in your body but can become activated years later. The CDC reports 99% of Americans born on or before 1980 have had chicken pox even if they don't remember it.

https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vpd/shingles/public/shingrix/index.html

The National Foundation for Infectious Diseases says:

Should adults age 50 years and older with vaccine-induced varicella immunity receive Shingrix®?

Adults age 50 years and older should receive Shingrix® even if they previously received varicella vaccine. Seroprevalence studies indicate that nearly all individuals in this age group have serologic evidence of varicella infection and are at risk for developing herpes zoster.

Some people who are vaccinated against chickenpox get shingles (herpes zoster) years later. This is much less common after vaccination than after chickenpox disease.

https://www.cdc.gov › vis-statements

Chickenpox (Varicella) Vaccine Information Statement | CDC

Google is pretty vague about this. We know that having had the pox itself sets you up to possibly develop shingles. We know shingles can be a very painful condition.

My question is whether people who were vaccinated against the pox are in the same boat as those who had the pox.

Since the vaccine has only been available for 49 years, and shingles tends to present after age 50.. should our children/grandchildren consider getting vaccinated against shingles?

From zalco's CDC guidance link:

"You should get Shingrix even if in the past you:

• Had shingles
• Received Zostavax*
• Received varicella (chickenpox) vaccine"

I am pretty sure Elmer and Zalco's statements are correct. My 32 y.o. daughter was vaccinated for chicken pox before entering preschool. And she is currently recovering from a case of shingles. A mild case that was quickly limited by an anti-viral medication but as a type 1 diabetic, she has a compromised immune system.

To the best of my knowledge, the only way to prevent shingles if you have had chicken pox OR been vaccinated for it is to get the shingles vaccine.

FWIW, I have never heard of anyone that young getting shingles. I was amazed when she told me her doctor's diagnosis!

This is from the CDC. I would (and have) get the shingles vac.

“Some people who are vaccinated against chickenpox get shingles (herpes zoster) years later. This is much less common after vaccination than after chickenpox disease.”

More info here…

https://www.cdc.gov/shingles/index.html

I'd think that the manufacturer of Shingrex would mention in their advertising that just because you were vaccinated against the pox doesn't mean you can't get shingles. I doubt they or their parents know they have a risk of shingles.

chloebud -- Does the CDC say how much less is the risk of shingles for people vaccinated against chicken pox than for people who had the pox?

I *think* I know that the risk of shingles after pox is 30%. Not certain.

Isn't shingles from the chickenpox virus (herpes zoster) laying dormant in your system until something triggers it to reemerge? Herpes viruses have a tendency to do that, don't they - like cold sores and genital herpes?

Never had the vaccine, but my sisters and I all had chickenpox in the 1970s, and one of us with a number of autoimmune issues did develop shingles as an adult.

chisue, I didn’t read enough to know how much less the risk is. I had a BAD case of chickenpox as a kid, and my mom suffered terribly with shingles. Getting the shingles shots just made sense to me. I had both the old shingles vac and the Shingrex when it came out.

ETA - See if this is any help from WebMD.

https://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/shingles/news/20190610/chickenpox-vaccine-shields-against-shingles-too

Yes they do. I’m a prime example. I was babysitting our friends’ three youngsters who had chicken pox, and within several days (it’s been too long to recall exactly) I came down with a serious case of Shingles. Painful and not fun!

Looks like the CDC just says most people who are vaccinated with 2 doses of the pox vaccine (varicella vaccine) will be protected for life against shingles. Not sure what percentage ”most” means.

I remember when I read up on shingles etc, getting chicken pox after being vaccinated for it was very rare plus you cant necessarily tell if the kid had already had chicken pox as it doesn't always break out. If you get your shingles vaccine it helps keep the symptoms minimal if you do get it inspite of everything. It seems that people with severely compromised immune systems are more prone to get it in spite of vaccination. My sister with Multiple Myeloma has gotten it twice.

chisue, I posted that answer above ...

My assumption? They assume anyone over a certain age is to get the Shingles vaccine. I'm old enough I didn't get chicken pox, and she still prescribed it. I'll take it. Better than chancing Shingles.