Chickenpox vaccine is advised for folks over 60

— Q: Should a 65-year-old who has never had chickenpox be vaccinated against it?

A: In someone who has never had chickenpox, the vaccine would protect against a disease that is far more serious in adults than it is in children, said Dr. Mark S. Lachs, director of geriatrics for the New York-Presbyterian Healthcare System and professor of medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College.

In someone who never had chickenpox, he said, the concern is not shingles but adult chickenpox, which has “fatality rates 25 times higher than in children.”

Such a person should instead be vaccinated against a primary infection with the varicella virus, Lachs said.

For those who had childhood chickenpox, the varicella virus may reactivate later in life and cause the very painful rash called shingles. Therefore, for most people older than 60, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends the shingles vaccine.

ActiveStyle, Pages 24 on 12/31/2012

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