Chickenpox Carrier Status: Do You Need a History of the Disease?

No, you cannot be a carrier of the varicella-zoster virus, which causes chickenpox, if you have never had the disease. A person can only become a carrier of the virus if they have had chickenpox at some point in their life.

After having chickenpox, the virus remains dormant in the body's nerve cells. In some individual, the virus can reactivate later in life and cause a condition called shingles. However, even during shingles, a person is only contagious to those who have not had chickenpox or been vaccinated against it.