The nurse that gave my teenage son the chickenpox vaccine shots said the shots actually make you susceptible to shingles.
Hard to figure what to do on this one.
My doctor says that having the chickenpox vaccine gives you immunity from shingles but that it can become very weak as you get older. I just wondered how important it was to get the shingles shot now that I’m older, given that I had the chickenpox vaccine when I was entering school for the first time at the age of 6.
Perhaps the nurse meant to say that having chickenpox itself makes you more susceptible to shingles later on. I’ve never read or heard from any doctor or nurse that having the chickenpox vaccine makes you more likely to get shingles.
I think what the nurse meant is that it is currently unknown how long the chickenpox vaccine is effective - in other words - for life? - or will you need chickenpox boosters as you get older?
Someone who has not had chickenpox can be infected with chickenpox if they come in contact with someone who has shingles.
On the other hand, I don't believe it is possible for someone who has chickenpox or shingles to re-infect someone who has already had chickenpox or shingles.
In the USA, chickenpox vaccinations began in 1995, so almost everyone over the age of 25 has had chickenpox.