Quote:
Originally Posted by Average Guy
My doctor recommended that I get the shingles vaccine and asked if I have ever had chicken pox. I was not sure, so the next time I had a blood test they were able to check to see if I had had chicken pox. The result was that I had never had it. He told me that I should, therefore, not get the shingles vaccine because it could give me chicken pox. I asked him if that meant that I should get a vaccine for chicken pox and he said I should only if I am frequently around a lot of children.
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And here is what the CDC says about adults with no history of chicken pox (varicella)
Varicella vaccination •All adults without evidence of immunity to varicella (as defined below) should receive 2 doses of single-antigen varicella vaccine or a second dose if they have received only 1 dose.
Varicella in an adult is an ugly disease. Your risk of acquiring varicella increases if you are exposed to persons who may have either active chicken pox or active shingles. Living in a retirement community certainly increases your likelihood of shingles exposure. On the other hand, chicken pox is becoming much less common in children due to the success of routine immunization in that age group.
As to whether before giving the shingles shot you need to assess for past varicella in the absence of a history of chicken pox,
Routine Vaccination of Persons Aged >60 Years
ACIP recommends routine vaccination of all persons aged >60 years with 1 dose of zoster vaccine. Persons who report a previous episode of zoster and persons with chronic medical conditions (e.g., chronic renal failure, diabetes mellitus, rheumatoid arthritis, and chronic pulmonary disease) can be vaccinated unless those conditions are contraindications or precautions. Zoster vaccination is not indicated to treat acute zoster, to prevent persons with acute zoster from developing PHN, or to treat ongoing PHN. Before routine administration of zoster vaccine, it is not necessary to ask patients about their history of varicella (chickenpox) or to conduct serologic testing for varicella immunity.
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/PDF/rr/rr5705.pdf page 19
Over 99.5% of persons born before 1980 have had varicella. If you are given the shingles shot and you have not had chicken pox I find no evidence it will "give you chicken pox" In fact in that situation, the shingles shot simply counts as your first of the two required varicella shots you need.