# The Pox

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pox/434790>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [January 24, 2008, 5:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pox/434790 "2008-01-24T05:48:43Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![vison](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/e47774/32.png) [@vison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vison)\
**Post date:** [January 25, 2008, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pox/434790/21 "2008-01-25T02:25:16Z")

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Syphillis was The Great Pox, in Shakespeare’s day. I daresay this was to differentiate it from Smallpox.

Horrid, in any case.

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**Author:** ![picunurse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@picunurse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/picunurse)\
**Post date:** [January 25, 2008, 6:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pox/434790/22 "2008-01-25T06:09:11Z")

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[QUOTE=Pullet]  
What are the OP’s odds of getting shingles? Higher or lower compared to someone who had chicken pox as a child?

Pullet  
Strangely, has never had chicken pox either  
[/QUOTE]

You may have had a sub-clinical case. Many children have only one or two eruptions that could be easily missed.

You should have your doctor draw a varicella titer. That’s the only way to know for sure if you are at risk.

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