Here’s why
It is possible to getchickenpox(varicella) twice, though it is not common.
Verywell / Brianna Gilmartin
What Happens If You Get Chickenpox a Second Time?
Its not common but it is possible for people to get chickenpox twice.
Verywell / Brianna Gilmartin
Reproduced with permission from A DermNet and A Waikato District Health Boardwww.dermnetnz.org2023.
Chickenpox on Different Skin Tones
On light-colored skin, chickenpox bumps can look very red.
On darker skin tones, chickenpox can look more pink or purple, gray, brown, or flesh-colored.
Reproduced with permission from © DermNet and © Waikato District Health Boardwww.dermnetnz.org2023.
Are Adults More Likely to Get Complications From Chickenpox?
Chickenpox can be a serious illness for adults, especially if they already have weak immune systems.
Adults are more likely than kids to end up hospitalized if they get chickenpox.
© Verywell, 2018
A serious but rare complication of chickenpox in pregnant people is fetal (congenital) varicella syndrome.
Can Adults Die From Chickenpox?
Adults who get severe chickenpox complicationsespecially pneumoniacan die from the illness, especially if they have weak immune systems.
Get our printable guide for your next doctor’s appointment to help you ask the right questions.
You do not take antibiotics for chickenpox because its triggered by a virus and not bacteria.
If you are very sick, your provider might prescribe you an antiviral medication likevalacyclovir.
These factors make it even less likely for a child to get a repeat chickenpox infection.
How Rare Is It to Get Chickenpox Multiple Times?
What Can Be Mistaken for Chickenpox?
A common reason for a child to have a second bout ofchickenpoxis that the first case was misdiagnosed.
Its also possible that the second chickenpox infection was misdiagnosed, and is actually another infection or skin problem.
There are a few conditions that can be mistaken for chickenpox in kids and adults.
The shingles rash is usually a band on just one side of the body.
It is usually very painful.
Ashingles vaccineis available to people aged 50 and older and can help prevent shingles.
Herpes
Herpesis triggered by viruses related to varicella.
Its often transmitted through sex.
The first herpes outbreak a person has is often the worst and can come along with flu-like symptoms.
Impetigo
Impetigois a very contagious skin infection that usually happens in kids.
It causes crusty, honey-colored sores on the skin.
Scabies
Scabiesis an itchy rash on the skin resulting from mites.
Its often itchier at night and intense scratching can lead to skin irritation and infection.
A clear sign of scabies is seeing lines (burrows) in the skin.
Get our printable guide for your next doctor’s appointment to help you ask the right questions.
Can You Get Tested for Chickenpox?
Testing for chickenpoxis rarely required, but some tests can confirm if a child has chickenpox.
These can be helpful in mild cases or when a child has a suspected second case of chickenpox.
Tests for chickenpox can include:
Summary
A second case of chickenpox is possible but not likely.
In some cases, the first (or second) case of chickenpox is misdiagnosed.
Conditions like impetigo, herpes, and even bug bites can easily be mistaken for chickenpox.
In adults, the reactivation of the chickenpox virus can happen in the form of shingles.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Chickenpox vaccination: what everyone should know.
Merck Manual (professional version).Chickenpox (varicella).
National Library of Medicine: MedlinePlus.Chickenpox.
National Foundation for Infectious Diseases.Why vaccinate teens (Adolescents) And adults against chickenpox?
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Manual for the surveillance of vaccine-preventable diseases: varicella.
Blair RJ.Varicella zoster virus.Pediatr Rev.
2019;40(7):375-377. doi:10.1542/pir.2017-0242
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Chapter 22: Varicella.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.About shingles (Herpes zoster).
U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Laboratory testing for Varicella-Zoster Virus (VZV).
