BACKGROUND Several state and local U.S. governments are considering making varicella, hepatitis A, and/or pneumococcal conjugate vaccination conditions of day care or school entry. These requirements will likely be issued sequentially, because simultaneous mandates exacerbate budget constraints and complicate communication with parents and providers. Cost-effectiveness assessments should aid th...

BACKGROUND AND AIM Varicella is normally a self-limited disease of childhood that does not require hospitalization. In the prevaccine era varicella caused >9000 hospitalizations per year. To determine whether the varicella vaccine, licensed in 1995, has decreased hospitalizations because of varicella, we examined national rates of varicella-related hospital discharges (VRHD) covering a 12-year ...

The most compelling rationale for introducing universal vaccination against varicella was the predicted benefits to healthy children. Current evidence from the US experience indicates that these benefits are being realized. As is true for any new vaccine, implementation of such a program necessitates disease surveillance and modifications of the vaccine regimen as needed. In the case of VZV, th...

OBJECTIVE To estimate the effectiveness of the varicella vaccine in school outbreaks during the academic year 2009-2010. MATERIAL AND METHOD Retrospective cohort study in public day-care centers and/or schools in an area in the region of Murcia. Spain. The participants were all children of 1 to 12 years who were in the same classroom where there was an outbreak of varicella. The main measurem...

Live attenuated varicella vaccine was approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1995 for administration to healthy susceptible persons 12 months of age. A single dose of the vaccine for children 12 years of age (ideally administered at 12–15 months of age) and 2 doses of the vaccine administered at least 1 month apart for persons 13 years of age were recommended. Since routine immun...

The incidence of herpes zoster (HZ) is 42 cases per 100 000 people per year. Infection in children is very rare. The varicella vaccine offers 90% protection against chickenpox and nearly 100% protection against severe cases. Immunization against varicella was initially expected to cause a decrease in the incidence of HZ. However, the vaccine virus can cause a latent infection that later manifes...

INTRODUCTION Measles, mumps, rubella, and varicella combination vaccines (MMRV) facilitate varicella vaccination uptake compared with separate administration of measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine (MMR) with varicella vaccine (V). However, the risk of developing febrile convulsions (FC) is higher in children vaccinated with MMRV. OBJECTIVES The aim was to demonstrate how to put the increased ...

Background.  The introductions of the varicella vaccine in 1995 and herpes zoster (HZ) vaccine in 2006 have an ongoing potential to modify the epidemiology of both diseases. Analysis of data on hospitalizations can be conducted to examine trends in the occurrence of severe disease over time and to assess the possible impact of vaccination on the incidence of hospitalization. Methods.  Statewide...

BACKGROUND The Pregnancy Registry for Varivax (Merck) was established to monitor for congenital varicella syndrome or other birth defects in the offspring of women who were exposed to varicella vaccine while pregnant. METHODS The registry receives voluntary reports from health care providers or consumers about women given the vaccine 3 months before or during pregnancy. Follow-up is conducted...

Ninety throat swabs from 30 healthy children who received varicella vaccine were tested for varicella zoster virus DNA by the polymerase chain reaction. Seroconversion was observed in 27 of 30 (90%) vaccinees. The positive rates were 7.4% (2/27) at one week and 0% (0/27) at four weeks after vaccination. These rates were considerably lower than those in normal children with varicella.