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Old 2nd Jun 2014, 17:42
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slam525i
 
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Toronto
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I'm happy to have had this chickenpox booster the natural way.
Unfortunately, that's not how it works. As you mentioned, the virus is dormant. While it may increase your antibody titre, it won't affect the virus already present in your neurons.

Two possible connections with vaccination--It is possible that a near absence of chickenpox infected children to challenge post-infected adults is the reason we see shingles at the current rate; and, it is unknown how shingles will effect children vaccinated for chickenpox.
Shingles doesn't emerge from external challenge with the virus. It comes from the virus already in your system going lytic. Outside chickenpox won't affect whether or not you get shingles.

The main reason to have children vaccinated for chickenpox is that the virus won't be able to establish itself in the child, hence the risk of getting shingles becomes zero.
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