system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
Why do antibodies for diseases like chickenpox stay in your body for years, while they only last a few months for other diseases?
gpt
There are white blood cells in your body that have memory, like a seasoned vet from a war. Some are hyper alert for signs of infection. Others pump out antibodies instead. Over time these seasoned vets die and their memory fades. This happens with the tetanus vaccine, and is why you need boosters.

Chicken pox is a tricksy one because the virus (Varicella Zoster) hides in your nerves after the first infection. Because it never really goes, the body's immune memory never fades. If healthy, those seasoned vets keep the chicken pox virus suppressed. This is also why you sometimes get shingles when you're tired or sick because the infection comes back out of the nerves.

Some viruses like measels wipe out your seasoned vets early making you vulnerable to previously encountered illnesses. This is one of the reasons it can be so deadly and vaccination against it is absolutely essential.