The virus that causes chickenpox (and thus shingles, which as mentioned is just he dormant virus reactivating within a nerve) is a herpes virus. Herpes is the family of virus, Varicella Zoster is the specific type. Other herpes virus' include the virus' that cause cold sores (usually simplex1), genital herpes (usually simplex2), EBV (which causes Mono), and CMV.
The chicken pox vaccine is attenuated, and cannot replicate. It cannot reactivate, as it does not go dormant. However...the vaccine does not prevent you from getting infected by the normal virus, it just prevents (in most cases) the virus from getting the upper hand on your immune system and causing a clinically significant illness. Many children who are vaccinated still get chicken pox, they just don't recognize it as such because the course and symptoms are so much milder than what is expected.
Taking anti-virals very early (idealy within the first 24 hours) in the course of any herpes infection can slightly decrease the duration of symptoms. There are only 2 types of chicken pox infections that truely benefit from antiviral/adjunctive therapy; conjunctival infections and pneumonia. The eye is involved whenever the nerve that serves that part of the face is involved. Pneumonia is very rare, and almost always associated with depressed immune systems. In both cases treatment is needed not so much to stop the virus, but to keep the patients immune system from destroying their own tissue.
The chicken pox vaccine only provides protection against chicken pox, it does nothing to prevent any other herpes infections.
Chicken pox is very contagious. The only difference in infectivity between primary and secondary(shingles) chicken pox is the amount sores that appear, and thus, the amount of virus that is shed. Shingles is still very infective. If you have an active shingles infection you should not be around immunosuppressed people, pregnant women, or very young children (it's not airborne, but is hardy, and can live on surfaces for a reasonable period of time...nowhere near as long as most cold virus' though!).
It's estimated that 90+% of all adults on the planet are infected by at least 3 types of herpes virus', it's a very succesfull species!
Scott
The chicken pox vaccine is attenuated, and cannot replicate. It cannot reactivate, as it does not go dormant. However...the vaccine does not prevent you from getting infected by the normal virus, it just prevents (in most cases) the virus from getting the upper hand on your immune system and causing a clinically significant illness. Many children who are vaccinated still get chicken pox, they just don't recognize it as such because the course and symptoms are so much milder than what is expected.
Taking anti-virals very early (idealy within the first 24 hours) in the course of any herpes infection can slightly decrease the duration of symptoms. There are only 2 types of chicken pox infections that truely benefit from antiviral/adjunctive therapy; conjunctival infections and pneumonia. The eye is involved whenever the nerve that serves that part of the face is involved. Pneumonia is very rare, and almost always associated with depressed immune systems. In both cases treatment is needed not so much to stop the virus, but to keep the patients immune system from destroying their own tissue.
The chicken pox vaccine only provides protection against chicken pox, it does nothing to prevent any other herpes infections.
Chicken pox is very contagious. The only difference in infectivity between primary and secondary(shingles) chicken pox is the amount sores that appear, and thus, the amount of virus that is shed. Shingles is still very infective. If you have an active shingles infection you should not be around immunosuppressed people, pregnant women, or very young children (it's not airborne, but is hardy, and can live on surfaces for a reasonable period of time...nowhere near as long as most cold virus' though!).
It's estimated that 90+% of all adults on the planet are infected by at least 3 types of herpes virus', it's a very succesfull species!
Scott