It is not currently believed that children will need a booster dose of the chickenpox vaccine, but studies are continuing to be done. Children who have had a life-threatening allergic reaction to gelatin, the antibiotic neomycin or to a previous dose of chickenpox vaccine should not receive this vaccine. You should also not receive chickenpox vaccine if you are pregnant or plan on becoming pregnant in the month after receiving the vaccine. Mild problems or side effects that can occur after receiving the chickenpox vaccine include soreness or swelling where the shot was given, fever, and mild rash, which can occur for up to a month after the vaccine was given. It is rarely possible for other people to catch a mild chickenpox infection from being in contact with this rash.
Moderate problems can include febrile seizures.
Use our Vaccine Schedule program to print a customized immunization schedule for your child. After having chickenpox, the chickenpox virus stays dormant in your body. In some children, it can become reactivated and cause shingles . The main symptoms of shingles is a rash on one side of the body that begins as a cluster of red bumps. These bumps then change into small blisters or vesicles that soon crust over.