A person can only get chickenpox once in a lifetime. The virus that causes chickenpox is called varicella-zoster virus, which manifests itself as chickenpox when it first infects the body. Chickenpox is a systemic infection that can appear as a generalized rash, and the varicella-zoster virus can be detected in respiratory secretions, herpes fluid, and even in the bloodstream. After having chickenpox once, the body’s immunity has an associated memory of it and it is impossible to get chickenpox a second time. However, the virus does not disappear completely from the body, it still lurks in the nerve roots of the body, and the virus is not completely eliminated by the body’s immune system. When the body’s immune system is low, the virus may still multiply and lead to infection, but this is not a systemic infection, the herpes is only confined to the area of the skin innervated by the nerve root, which is called herpes zoster rather than chickenpox. The infection is called shingles and not chickenpox. So, you can get chickenpox once and never get it again, but the varicella-zoster virus is not just a one-time infection, it can be a recurring infection, only the first time it is chickenpox, and then many times after that it is shingles.