No, You Can’t Get Shingles if You’ve Never Had Chickenpox

Dr. Brown explains that people who’ve been vaccinated against chickenpox (and never got sick) don’t have to worry about the shingles vaccine, saying, “If you’ve been vaccinated for chickenpox, you’re also protected from shingles as an adult.”

But that doesn’t mean you can throw caution entirely to the wind. You still need to protect yourself against breakthrough infection if somebody around you is sick. It’s not just important for your health: It’s also important for people who are unable to be vaccinated.

Protecting yourself against breakthrough infections

More than 90% of people who receive the chickenpox vaccine will avoid the virus. But — while the vaccine is highly effective — it’s not a 100% guarantee against infection.

That means it’s important to take protective measures if somebody close to you is sick with either chickenpox or shingles.

“If someone has chickenpox or shingles and they are at the blister stage where they are contagious, they could transmit the virus to you and you could potentially get chickenpox,” Dr. Brown states.

Specifically, he says that you need to avoid touching the blisters, as that’s the primary way varicella-zoster spreads. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) also notes that you can breathe in virus particles when a person with chickenpox or shingles scratches their blisters.

If you are unlucky enough to have a breakthrough chickenpox infection, take heart: Vaccinated people who experience breakthrough infections usually have milder symptoms than people who aren’t vaccinated. Just remember that you’ll need to be vaccinated for shingles when you reach age 50 or — if you’re already 50 or older — after your chickenpox infection has subsided.

The bottom line

If you’ve had chickenpox, you’re at risk of getting shingles and should be vaccinated when you reach the age of eligibility.If you were vaccinated against chickenpox and haven’t had a breakthrough infection, you don’t need to be vaccinated for shingles.If you were vaccinated against chickenpox and did have a breakthrough infection, you should be vaccinated for shingles when you reach the age of eligibility.If you haven’t had chickenpox and haven’t had the chickenpox vaccine, you should get vaccinated as soon as possible. You won’t need the shingles vaccine unless you have a breakthrough chickenpox infection at some point.

Regardless of your vaccination status or immunity, you need to always take protective measures if somebody around you is sick with chickenpox or shingles. Doing so doesn’t just protect you: It also prevents the virus from spreading to people who aren’t vaccinated against it.