If a child had chickenpox before 1 year of age, is the child immune or should the child still receive the vaccine?
Children who have had chickenpox diagnosed at any age by a healthcare provider or whose histories of varicella infection are verified by a healthcare provider are considered immune and do not need vaccination, according to current ACIP recommendations. Healthcare providers should keep a high threshold of suspicion about whether the disease was really chickenpox. Other rash illnesses can look like chickenpox; so, if there is any doubt that the disease was chickenpox, then the child should be vaccinated.
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- If a child had chickenpox before 1 year of age, is the child immune or should the child still receive the vaccine?
