INTRODUCTION In the UK, primary varicella is usually a mild infection in children, but can cause serious illness in susceptible pregnant women and adults. The UK Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation is considering an adolescent varicella vaccination programme. Cost-effectiveness depends upon identifying susceptibles and minimising vaccine wastage, and chickenpox history is one method...

This study was undertaken to audit staff varicella policy for UK paediatric centres, and to estimate the cost-effectiveness of implementing a staff varicella vaccine policy. A telephone survey of 22 hospitals was performed to determine the policy regarding varicella immune status among healthcare workers (HCWs). All hospitals surveyed except one recorded immune status of informed HCWs, and had ...

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...

In 2006, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommended that children routinely receive 2 varicella vaccine doses in place of the 1 dose previously recommended. This recommendation's initial impact on varicella epidemiology in Connecticut was assessed. Reported incidence and case-specific data were compared for 2005 and 2008. Varicella incidence decreased from 48.7 cases/100,000 p...

A 7 years old boy presenting with acute flaccid paralysis after Varicella zoster infection was diagnosed as having acute transverse myelitis on MRI. He recovered fully after treatment with intravenous corticosteroids and acyclovir. The occurrence of this condition during or following Varicella infection is uncommon. There are previously very few reported cases of post-Varicella acute transverse...

OBJECTIVES To investigate the seroconversion rate and duration of persistence of protective antibody titres after varicella immunisation in children with renal failure. DESIGN 32 children (25 end stage and 7 pre-end stage renal failure) were immunised using 2 x 2,000 plaque forming unit doses of varicella vaccine 3 months apart. Varicella antibody titres were measured by enzyme linked immunos...

OBJECTIVE To support efforts to address parental hesitancy towards early childhood vaccination, we sought to validate the Vaccination Confidence Scale using data from a large, population-based sample of U.S. parents. METHODS We used weighted data from 9,354 parents who completed the 2011 National Immunization Survey. Parents reported on the immunization history of a 19- to 35-month-old child ...

The aim of this study was to examine the most cost-effective strategy screening and vaccinating measles- varicella-susceptible health care workers (HCWs). A retrospective cost-effectiveness analysis conducted at a tertiary hospital in Korea with 300 HCWs who were high risk infection. Self-reported histories vaccinations, infectious diseases, contact such cases collected. Serological tests for i...

BACKGROUND Live attenuated varicella vaccine is considered a safe vaccine with serious adverse effects reported only in immunocompromised children. We describe a severe life-threatening infection with varicella vaccine virus causing rash and pneumonitis in a 6-year-old boy with no apparent immunodeficiency. METHODS AND RESULTS Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis of vesicle swab samples d...