OBJECTIVE To characterize varicella zoster virus-related deaths and hospitalizations in Brazil before universal vaccination with the tetravalent (measles, mumps, rubella, and varicella) vaccine, attempting to collect baseline data on varicella morbidity and mortality in order to evaluate the impact of the varicella vaccination program. METHODS Varicella-associated mortality data were evaluate...

BACKGROUND Varicella is often considered to be a benign disease of childhood. In fact, varicella is associated with serious complications and mortality even among healthy individuals. DISCUSSION Although the course of varicella can be uncomplicated, it can also be associated with serious complications such as pneumonia, fluid and electrolyte disturbances, skin and soft tissue infections and c...

Patients receiving immunosuppressive therapies may be at increased risk for complications of vaccine preventable diseases, including influenza, varicella, and pneumococcus. However, studies suggest that patients with chronic illness may be inadequately immunized. In part, this is because of a paucity of formal vaccine studies in immune compromised populations. This review discusses the methods ...

Varicella is a common viral disease affecting almost the entire birth cohort. Some cases of varicella can be serious, with 2-6% of complications. The hospitalization rate for varicella in Europe ranges from 1.3 to 4.5 per 100,000 population/year and up to 10.1% of hospitalized patients report permanent or possible permanent sequelae. In countries where routine childhood vaccination against vari...

CONTEXT Reports of outbreaks of varicella in highly immunized groups have increased concern about the effectiveness of varicella vaccine. OBJECTIVE To assess whether the effectiveness of varicella vaccine is affected either by time since vaccination or by age at the time of vaccination. DESIGN Case-control study conducted from March 1997 through June 2003. SETTING Twenty different group p...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Varicella has an important impact on public health, especially before the introduction of the varicella vaccine. This study investigated the epidemiological characteristics and disease burden of varicella during the introduction of the varicella vaccine for mass vaccination in Taiwan. METHODS The International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision, Clinical Modificat...

A polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay that identifies and differentiates wild-type (wt) and vaccine strains of varicella-zoster virus (VZV) was used to determine if VZV strains with restriction fragment length polymorphisms resembling those of the Japanese Oka vaccine strain were present in the wt pool outside of Japan. Virus samples (n = 114) from patients with chickenpox and zoster from var...

BACKGROUND When varicella vaccine was licensed in the United States in 1995, there were concerns that childhood vaccination might increase the number of adolescents susceptible to varicella and shift disease toward older age groups where it can be more severe. METHODS We conducted a series of 5 cross-sectional studies in 1994 to 1995 (prevaccine), 2000, 2003, 2006, and 2009 in Kaiser Permanen...

Primary varicella infection (chickenpox) is common in the UK with over threequarters of parents reporting a history of chickenpox in their children by 5 years of age. Following primary infection, the varicella zoster virus (VZV) remains dormant in the dorsal root ganglia and reactivates in later life following a decline in cell-mediated immunity to cause herpes zoster or shingles (HZ). Although...

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES Infection with varicella zoster virus (VZV) produces lifelong immunity, but duration of post-vaccination immunity has not been established. The purpose of this study is to determine if a difference exists in the long-term seropositivity of anti-VZV antibodies in a cohort of young adults who were vaccinated against varicella as compared to a similar cohort with a history of...