How common is chickenpox?
Chickenpox is very easy to catch.
If someone in your family gets chickenpox and you haven't had it, or been vaccinated against it, you have a 9 in 10 chance of getting it.1
Almost everyone in the United States used to get chickenpox. But chickenpox has become much less common, because 4 out of 5 children now have the chickenpox vaccine (to learn more, see What treatments work for chickenpox?). The vaccine has been used in the Unites States for 10 years.
Before the vaccine was used:2
- About 4 million people got chickenpox each year
- About 4,000 to 9,000 people needed hospital treatment for chickenpox each year
- About 100 people died from chickenpox each year.
Sources for the information on this page:
- Coole L, Law B, McIntyre P. Vaccines for preventing varicella in children and adults (Cochrane review). In: The Cochrane Library, Issue 4, 1999. Update Software, Oxford, UK.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Varicella disease questions & answers. June 2007. Available at http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vpd-vac/varicella/dis-faqs-gen.htm (accessed on 17 September 2007).
This information is for educational use only, and is not a substitute for prompt professional medical advice.
Readers should always consult a physician or other professional for advice and treatment.
