Chicken pox twice?

Dear Ask The Doctor: I would like to know if it is possible to have chicken pox twice. I had it when I was 16 and now I have what looks like a rash all over my body and it itches like crazy.

Dear Christine: Chicken pox is generally the disease of the childhood and after the primary infection is over the herpes zoster virus , the causative agent for chicken pox , remain dormant in the body and may present later in life as herpes zoster ( Shingles ) in about 10 - 30 percent of individuals.The rash of chicken pox is typically dew drop in appearence but in shingles pain usually precede the appearence of rash which is very severe. The rashes which appear are also distributed in particular part of the body and not generalised , If you are experiancing itching all over the body without any preceding pain it is very much unlikely that you have shingles that is reoccurance of chicken pox in adults.