Chickenpox (Varicella) Vaccine Guide
Infectious DiseasesChickenpox
Explore This Topic

Chickenpox (Varicella) Vaccine Guide

Chickenpox (Varicella) Vaccine Guide
Getty Images
By
Updated on January 15, 2025
by

Chickenpox is a highly contagious viral infection that causes a skin rash, starting with red bumps and progressing to blisters and scabs. It may also cause symptoms such as fever, headache, and fatigue.

The disease typically affects children, but anyone who is not immune to the virus can get it.

While most cases of chickenpox are mild and cause no lasting significant problems, in some cases the disease is more severe and leads to dangerous complications.

Severe chickenpox is more likely to affect adults, infants, teenagers, pregnant women, and people with a weakened immune system (due to a health condition or medical treatment).

But even in otherwise healthy children, chickenpox can cause severe complications and even death in a very small number of cases.

To address the risks posed by severe chickenpox, Japanese researchers developed a chickenpox, or varicella, vaccine in the 1970s. It was licensed for use in the United States in 1995, and became widespread soon afterward.

 Chickenpox vaccines have reduced cases by 97 percent since that time, and now chickenpox is considered rare in the United States.

While the varicella vaccine is recommended for most children and some adults, there are certain groups of people who shouldn’t receive it.

You don’t need the vaccine if you’ve already had chickenpox, since having the disease gives you lifelong immunity. But the virus can return as shingles, for which a separate vaccine is available.

How the Chickenpox Vaccine Works

The chickenpox vaccine contains a weakened version of the live chickenpox virus, also called the varicella zoster virus.

This means there’s a very small chance of getting chickenpox from the vaccine itself, especially if you have a weakened immune system.

Many other vaccines don’t contain a live virus and don’t carry this risk.

Like most vaccines, the chickenpox vaccine works by exposing your immune system to the virus (or what your system believes to be the virus). In response, your immune system produces antibodies — proteins that help fight the virus and prevent infection.

The vaccine is about 90 percent effective at preventing chickenpox, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

 This means that among people who get both recommended doses of the vaccine, 90 percent won’t get chickenpox.

What’s more, people who get chickenpox despite being vaccinated tend to have a milder form of the disease. This usually involves fewer chickenpox blisters and only a low-level fever, if any fever at all.

Getting the chickenpox vaccine doesn’t just protect you from getting the disease. It also helps protect others in your community, especially those who can’t be vaccinated because of a weakened immune system or pregnancy.

These groups are at greatest risk for dangerous complications if they do get chickenpox, so protecting them from the virus is especially important.

Doses and Recommendations for Varicella Vaccine

The chickenpox vaccine is recommended for all children in the targeted age ranges, unless they have a health condition that prevents them from getting it or have already had chickenpox.

The first dose is recommended when your child is 12 to 15 months old. The second and final dose is recommended when your child is 4 to 6 years old.

Even if they miss the recommended age targets, children under age 13 can get the vaccine as long as the two doses are spaced at least three months apart.

For people aged 13 and above, the two doses only need to be 28 days apart.

There are two types of chickenpox vaccine used in the United States. One contains just the chickenpox vaccine, while the other also vaccinates against measles, mumps, and rubella (called the MMRV vaccine).

Both vaccines follow the same recommended childhood dosing schedule. MMRV is only approved for children 1 to 12 years old, while the standalone vaccine is approved for age 1 and above.

Anyone who hasn’t had chickenpox and is eligible should get the vaccine, according to the American Academy of Family Physicians.

The vaccine is especially important for:

  • Healthcare workers
  • Child care workers
  • Teachers
  • College students
  • Inmates and staff at jails and prisons
  • Military personnel
  • Women of childbearing age who aren’t pregnant (and won’t be for at least one month)
  • International travelers
  • Adults and teenagers who live with children
  • Anyone in contact with someone with a weakened immune system

Who Should Not Get the Chickenpox Vaccine?

The following groups should not get the chickenpox vaccine:

  • People with a moderate to serious illness (vaccination should be delayed)
  • Pregnant women
  • People who had a serious allergic reaction to their first dose of the vaccine (or a component of the vaccine, such as gelatin or the antibiotic neomycin)
  • Immunosuppression due to leukemia, lymphoma, widespread malignancy, immune deficiency disease, or medical treatments that weaken the body’s immune system.
  • Family history of congenital or hereditary immunodeficiency in primary blood relatives
  • Hematopoietic stem cell transplant (wait 24 months to be vaccinated)

The following groups should discuss the pros and cons of the vaccine with their doctor before getting it:

  • People living with HIV or AIDS
  • People with cancer, especially those undergoing treatment
  • People who recently received blood products or a blood transfusion

You also shouldn’t get vaccinated if blood tests show that you have immunity against the chickenpox virus. This test may be recommended if you don’t know whether you’ve had chickenpox.

Getting Vaccinated After Exposure to Chickenpox

If you know that you’ve been exposed to someone with chickenpox or shingles, and you haven’t had the vaccine or the disease, you can still benefit from the vaccine by getting it within three to five days of being exposed.

Getting the vaccine after exposure may prevent chickenpox altogether, or it may make your symptoms less severe. It will also protect you going forward.

 The CDC recommends the varicella zoster immune globulin (Varizig) vaccine after exposure for those who don’t have immunity and have contraindications to the chickenpox vaccine.

According to current CDC guidelines, you should still get a shingles vaccination at the recommended time even if you were vaccinated against chickenpox and never had the disease. It isn’t well understood how the chickenpox vaccine affects your risk of shingles later on.

The Takeaway

  • Chickenpox is a highly contagious viral infection that causes a skin rash, fever, headache, and fatigue. A vaccine was approved in the United States 30 years ago.
  • The vaccine works by exposing your immune system to a weakened form of the live chickenpox virus, so there is a very small risk of catching it from getting the shot. Most people who get it will be protected for life.
  • Everyone should get two doses of chickenpox vaccine if they never had chickenpox or were never vaccinated.
  • People with vaccine allergies, immune system problems, are undergoing cancer treatment, or who are pregnant should check with their healthcare provider to make sure it’s safe to get the shot.
Meet Our Experts
See Our Editorial PolicyMeet Our Health Expert Network
jane-yoon-scott-bio

Jane Yoon Scott, MD

Medical Reviewer

Jane Yoon Scott, MD, is an infectious disease physician and an assistant professor of medicine at Emory University in Atlanta. Dr. Scott enjoys connecting with her patients, empowering them to understand and take ownership of their health, and encouraging them to ask questions so that they can make informed and thoughtful decisions.

She graduated with the highest honors from the Georgia Institute of Technology, then received her MD from the Medical College of Georgia. She completed her internal medicine residency training and chief residency at Temple University Hospital, as well as a fellowship in infectious diseases at Emory University. She is board-certified in both internal medicine and infectious diseases.

When she is not seeing patients, Dr. Scott works with neighboring health departments to promote public health, especially to communities that have been historically underserved. She also teaches medical trainees and lectures medical students at the Emory University School of Medicine.

In her free time, Dr. Scott appreciates a good coffee shop, weekend hikes, playing guitar, strolling through cities, sampling restaurants, and traveling to new places.

See full bio

Quinn Phillips

Author

A freelance health writer and editor based in Wisconsin, Quinn Phillips has a degree in government from Harvard University. He writes on a variety of topics, but is especially interested in the intersection of health and public policy. Phillips has written for various publications and websites, such as Diabetes Self-Management, Practical Diabetology, and Gluten-Free Living, among others.

See full bio
See Our Editorial PolicyMeet Our Health Expert Network
EDITORIAL SOURCES
Everyday Health follows strict sourcing guidelines to ensure the accuracy of its content, outlined in our editorial policy. We use only trustworthy sources, including peer-reviewed studies, board-certified medical experts, patients with lived experience, and information from top institutions.
Resources
  1. Chickenpox. Mayo Clinic. April 19, 2023.
  2. Chickenpox (Varicella). Merck Manual. December 2023.
  3. Chickenpox Vaccination. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. August 21, 2024.
  4. Impact of U.S. Chickenpox Vaccination Program. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. April 22, 2024.
  5. Chickenpox Vaccine. American College of Family Physicians. September 2022.
  6. Lopez A et al. Chapter 22: Varicella. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. May 9, 2024.
  7. Levin MJ et al. Varicella Zoster Immune Globulin (VARIZIG) Administration Up to 10 days After Varicella Exposure in Pregnant Women, Immunocompromised Participants, and Infants: Varicella Outcomes and Safety Results From a Large, Open-Label, Expanded-Access Program. PLoS One. July 3, 2019.