Home / Ask The Experts / I work in employee health. Several hospital employees have told me they have had chickenpox, but their titers show no antibodies. Should I offer varicella vaccination to them even though they insist they’ve had the illness?

Varicella (Chickenpox)
Scheduling Vaccines

I work in employee health. Several hospital employees have told me they have had chickenpox, but their titers show no antibodies. Should I offer varicella vaccination to them even though they insist they’ve had the illness?

If you cannot verify a healthcare employee’s history of chickenpox, the employee should receive 2 doses of varicella vaccine at least 4 weeks apart. For details, refer to pages 16 and 26 of the CDC recommendations Prevention of Varicella at www.cdc.gov/mmwr/pdf/rr/rr5604.pdf.

Last reviewed: May 16, 2023

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This page was updated on July 21, 2022.