Varicella-zoster Virus (VZV) |
IS it contagious?
Yes. Chickenpox is very contagious among those who have not yet contracted it and have not been vaccinated. An infected individual is contagious 1-2 days before symptoms develop and continues to be contagious until all of their blisters have scabbed over. It can take approximately 10-21 days for those who have been infected to experience symptoms. If an individual who was vaccinated contracts chickenpox, he or she is still contagious. Although the majority of people who have contracted chickenpox once are immune from getting infected again, there are rare cases where patients have contracted the disease more than once. Shingles is not contagious as it is a reactivated form of the varicella-zoster virus that is already in the body.
IS it dangerous? Chickenpox and shingles can be severe and even fatal is infants, adults, and people who are immunocompromised.
Why is it important to be vaccinated? Vaccinations are the main way that the number of varicella-zoster virus infections has dropped drastically (90%) since the vaccine was introduced in 1995. While outbreaks are not as common now, it is still imperative that individuals, especially children, get vaccination to continue to prevent outbreaks. In addition, people with weakened immune systems, infants, and pregnant women rely on herd immunity, when a critical amount of the population is vaccinated, thereby preventing the outbreak and spread of certain diseases. These at risk populations need this herd immunity to avoid getting the disease, which could be more severe and even fatal in those populations, because they are unable to be vaccinated. For information on recent outbreaks and vaccination news, see the current events page.
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Herd immunity |
Sources:
Herd Immunity Figure: http://www.niaid.nih.gov/topics/pages/communityimmunity.aspx
- Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Center for Disease Control and Prevention, n.d. Web. 8 Apr. 2015. <http://www.cdc.gov/>.
- "Community Immunity ('Herd' Immunity)." National Institute of Health. National Institute of Health, n.d. Web. 8 Apr. 2015. <http://www.niaid.nih.gov/topics/pages/communityimmunity.aspx>.
Herd Immunity Figure: http://www.niaid.nih.gov/topics/pages/communityimmunity.aspx