Chicken pox

[margiebell4]

I have had PMR for about a year, I have read that we should avoid contact with anyone who has chicken pox. The virus is going round the school I work in. I definitely had chicken pox as a child - will my antibodies protect me or should I be careful?

[PMRpro Ambassador]

The main risk is for people who did NOT have chicken pox as a child and in some places they do say that more clearly. If you catch chicken pox for the first time while on immunosuppressant drugs it can be quite severe - and in fact CP can be quite severe for any adult getting it for the first time.

I'm sure you know that when you have had CP you can develop shingles later - the virus remains dormant in nerve endings in various parts of the body and can wake up and cause shingles. However, it isn't clear whether being in contact with people with CP can trigger the virus to lead to shingles.

The trouble with CP is that it is most infectious in the 24 hours before the spots appear - and it just looks like a bad cold. You can be anywhere, on the bus, in a shop, and someone next to you sneezes all over the place - do they have CP??????

According to this:

nvic.org/vaccines-and-disea...

natural immunity from having recovered from CP is lifelong.

If you do come very close to a child who develops CP a day or so later then it would be sensible to keep a close eye on how you are for the next few weeks and if you develop any signs of CP or shingles (which is always a possibility anyway) to go to the doctor immediately to be given antiviral medication which will reduce the severity of any infection. It doesn't work in advance - you can't take it to prevent developing either but you should get it if you do get spots.