Anyone Experience Chicken Pox After Having the Vaccine?

Updated on August 17, 2009
S.A. asks from Waterford, MI
11 answers

I'm wondering if anyone has childern who have gotten the chicken pox after getting the vaccine. My daughter has the marks, and keeps getting new ones, yes the old one are getting better but we don't have the "normal" scabbing, itching or and discomfort. She got the shot a few years ago and I am having trouble finding any information telling what a "mild case" actually is. Thanks to all who respond. Have a great day!!

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So What Happened?

Thanks everyone, My daughter does not have the chicken pox. I did have her to the Dr. before posting my request, he had me watch for the scabbing, but never clarified what "mild" would be. She has a viral infection with similar symptons to chicken pox(new spots everyday, old spots NOT scabbing but fading away). Thanks again everyone!!! Have a great day! S. A

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L.O.

answers from Detroit on

chicken pox lasts 7-14 days.. with new pox forming and others healing.

a mild case would be less pox and less overall illness... lower fever and not feeling as sick.

Yes you can absolutely get the pox after the vaccine.. they are now doing a booster shot for chicken pox because there have been quite a few cases of kids getting the pox after teh shot.

I am hoping that my kids get the chicken pox as young children.. if they dont get the disease by age 10 or so I will have them vaccinated. it is pretty mild in kids but much worse in teens and adults..

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C.M.

answers from Detroit on

The vaccine was not around when my kids were little. My middle daughter got a very "mild case" of the chicken pox...only 7 pox appeared. She was never sick with them. They took the regular course for chicken pox. A few years later she got them again. I followed my mother's "old wives tale" advise and kept her really warm...I guess the heat brings on a harder case??? She never got them a third time. I suppose that if given the vaccine, a light case could be a result of previous exposure but not enough to kick in a hard case for immunity. It's a mystery. Have you asked your doc?

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T.K.

answers from Detroit on

most of my children have had both the vaccine and also later cases of the chicken pox. My one son has had them 3x AFTER getting the vaccine, which is - IMO - useless.

This is one shot it seems to me pointless to get. Chicken pox is not serious unless you are Very young, Very old, or have a compromised immune system, and ONE actual case confers life-long immunity.

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D.S.

answers from Grand Rapids on

S.; yes, some of the vaccines, give a live virus to fight off, and you can break out in a smaller form of the pox, ask your dr? if you have any questions about it or if it gets worse, D. s

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C.E.

answers from Detroit on

My son got chicken Pox when he was under two. One of the kids at daycare had been given the vaccine a week earlier and infected half the school. Any of you can say no, but believe me I was so pissed because of a bunch of problems this caused.

I also had my son at the doctor's and had him look at the funny spot, which was told "that's not a pox". The next day daycare called and said I needed to come get him because he had Chicken Pox. Took him back to the doctor and was told that same funny spot was now a "POX".

I do think now the virus is in killed form when it's given.

Chel

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N.W.

answers from Detroit on

If you think she might have the chicken pox, please take her to the Dr.

I thought my son had a mild case...turns out it was just an allergic reaction. But she should be examined by a dr.

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L.N.

answers from Benton Harbor on

**Oh, are you asking whether or not you CAN get CP after having a vaccine in general? Yes, you can. Vaccines are not 100% effective.**

It depends on whether or not the vaccine was 'live'. You can get sick from a live vaccine, but not from a dead vaccine like the flu shot. Yes, I know everybody knows somebody who will swear up and down that they got the flu from the shot. They didn't. It was either already in their body, or it was LOOOONG ago when the vaccine was live. (Swine flu, though, is still up in the air and even I, as a medical professional question that one!)

Anyway, I had a very mild case of CPox as a child and the doc always said I could get it again. Maybe this is what happened to your daughter. My brother, on the other hand, had it so bad he was hallucinating, etc. It varies greatly.

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S.B.

answers from Detroit on

Hi S.,
My daughter got a mild case of chicken pox within 3 years of her vaccine, in kindergarten. There was chicken pox going around in the school, all mild cases as the kids had been vaccinated. She had a few pox on her face. My pediatrician told me she will not have to have the 2nd vaccine at 12 since she had this mild case, so be sure to mention it to your pediatrician!
Have a great day!

K.H.

answers from Detroit on

It was my understanding that the vaccine doesn't mean they WONT get the chicken pox but that a lot of the time it just makes it so that when they do get it, it's very mild in comparison to normal. My daughter ended up getting it before we got around to that particular vaccine so we didn't have to get it. Call her doctor and tell them that you think she has the chicken pox. They may want to see her to confirm for her medical records that she has had it. If they don't need to see her, they may be able to clarify if what you are seeing is in fact the chicken pox.

To soothe them, we used a mixture of benedryl (Dr. Sears's website has directions on dosing and other helpful hints) to keep the itch down (it also helps to dry them up faster I think) and oatmeal baths. We managed to make it through a decently strong case of them with no permanent marks.

Good luck!

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K.H.

answers from Detroit on

Yup, my son had 'em about 1 month after getting the vaccine!

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B.P.

answers from Kalamazoo on

My daughter had a very mild case of the chicken pox several years after getting the shot. She was about 6 and had several spots on her arm that were really bugging her. I thought that they were mosquito bites but after looking at them more closely and knowing that she was exposed, I'm sure it was the chicken pox. She only had a few spots on her arm and no other symptoms. I think that this is part of the reason that there is now a booster shot for older kids. This is also a good reminder to everyone to get older kids in to the doctor for well visits every other year or so. It is easy to forget when they get older and you get out of the habit of going every year.

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