Chickenpox
The reason varicella is called chickenpox has nothing to do with chickens. Chickenpox got its nickname because the blisters look like chick peas.
The Disease
Varicella, or chickenpox, is one of the most common childhood diseases. It is caused by the varicella-zoster virus. Most people in the United States get chickenpox while they are still children. Until the late 1990's there were about 4 million cases a year. But now that people are using varicella vaccine, that number has begun to drop.
The most recognizable feature of chickenpox is an itchy rash all over the body. Children with chickenpox can also be drowsy and have a fever.
Chickenpox can be spread very easily from person to person. It is spread through the air, by coughing or sneezing, or even talking. It can also be spread by contact with fluid from the blisters. It usually takes 2-3 weeks from the time a child is exposed to chickenpox virus until he or she becomes ill. The disease is contagious from 1 or 2 days before the rash appears until all the blisters are dried up, which usually takes 4 to 5 days.
Chickenpox is usually a mild disease, uncomfortable but not dangerous. Still, serious problems do occur. The blisters can become infected, and some children get encephalitis (infection of the brain). Of every 100,000 infants under one year old who get chickenpox, about 4 die. For older children, 1 to 14 years old, about 1 in 100,000 dies. If a woman gets chickenpox just before or after giving birth, her baby can get very sick, and about 1 in 3 of these children die if they are not treated quickly.
Even when chickenpox is not serious, it can create problems for the family because the parents may have to miss work to care for the sick child. About 1 child out of 500 who get chickenpox must be hospitalized. For adults who get chickenpox, 1 in 50 must be hospitalized.
After a person has chickenpox, the virus stays in the body. Years later, it can cause a painful disease called zoster, or shingles.
The Immunization
Varicella vaccine is a live-virus vaccine. It has been used in some parts of the world, such as Japan, for over 20 years. It was licensed in the United States in 1995.
A single dose of varicella vaccine is recommended for children between 12 and 18 months of age. It is usually given at the same time as the MMR shot. Children who miss this shot can still get a single dose of the vaccine up to their 13th birthday. Adolescents or adults who haven't gotten the vaccine by their 13th birthday will need two doses, 4 to 8 weeks apart. A child who has already had chickenpox disease does not need to get the shot.
It appears that the vaccine prevents chickenpox in about 70% to 90% of people who get the shot, and prevents severe chickenpox in over 95%. The vaccine used in Japan is still protecting those people who were vaccinated 20 years ago. In the United States, people who were vaccinated during testing, before the vaccine was licensed, are still immune to chickenpox. The vaccine is expected to give lifelong immunity.
Occasionally even children who respond to the vaccine get a very mild case of chickenpox (about 1-2 children out of a hundred).
There is some concern that a child who gets chickenpox vaccine can actually give chickenpox to other, unprotected, family members. This appears to happen extremely rarely, and only when the child who was vaccinated develops a rash. To be safe, anyone with a suppressed immune system should consider avoiding contact with a child who develops a rash after getting the chickenpox vaccination, just as they should avoid anyone who has a case of chickenpox.
Side Effects from Varicella Immunization
Varicella vaccine is very safe. Some children (about 1 out of 5) get red or sore where the shot was given. Some children also get a mild rash (about 5 spots), about 1 to 3 weeks after the shot. Febrile seizures (seizures caused by fever) have occurred in less than 1 out of a thousand children; and other serious problems, such as inflammation of the brain (encephalitis) or loss of muscle coordination, have been reported very rarely. These problems happen so rarely that experts cannot tell whether or not they are caused by the vaccine, or just happen at the same time by chance.
Like any vaccine, or medicine, varicella vaccine could theoretically trigger a serious reaction in someone who is allergic to one of its components. But severe allergic reactions to childhood vaccines are very rare (estimated at around one per million doses), and no child is ever known to have died from an allergic reaction to a vaccine.
Precautions
There are several reasons a doctor might want to delay giving a child a varicella vaccination or not give it at all:
· A child who is known to have a severe allergy to gelatin or the antibiotic neomycin should not get varicella vaccine.
· A child who had a life-threatening allergic reaction after a dose of varicella vaccine should not get another dose.
· A child with a suppressed immune system (because of a disease such as cancer or HIV
infection, or medication such as steroids) should be evaluated by a doctor before getting varicella vaccine.
· A child who has recently gotten a transfusion or other blood product might have to wait several months before getting varicella vaccine.
· A child who has a moderate or severe illness on the day a varicella (or any) vaccination is scheduled should probably delay the vaccination until he or she has recovered.
After Getting Varicella Vaccine . . .
If the child has any serious or unusual problem after getting this vaccine, call a doctor or get the child to a doctor right away.
Why get vaccinated?
Chickenpox (also called varicella) is a common childhood disease. It is usually mild, but it can be serious, especially in young infants and adults.
· The chickenpox virus can be spread from person to person through the air, or by contact with fluid from chickenpox blisters.
· It causes a rash, itching, fever, and tiredness.
· It can lead to severe skin infection, scars, pneumonia, brain damage, or death.
· A person who has had chickenpox can get a painful rash called shingles years later.
· About 12,000 people are hospitalized for chickenpox each year in the United States.
· About 100 people die each year in the United States as a result of chickenpox.
Chickenpox vaccine can prevent chickenpox.
Most people who get chickenpox vaccine will not get chickenpox. But if someone who has been vaccinated does get chickenpox, it is usually very mild. They will have fewer spots, are less likely to have a fever, and will recover faster.
Who should get chickenpox vaccine and when?
Children should get 1 dose of chickenpox vaccine between 12 and 18 months of age, or at any age after that if they have never had
chickenpox.
People who do not get the vaccine until 13 years of age or older should get 2 doses, 4-8 weeks apart.
Ask your doctor or nurse for details.
Chickenpox vaccine may be given at the same time as other vaccines.
Some people should not get chickenpox vaccine or should wait
· People should not get chickenpox vaccine if they have ever had a life threatening allergic reaction to gelatin, the antibiotic neomycin, or (for those needing a second dose) a previous dose of chickenpox vaccine.
· People who are moderately or severely ill at the time the shot is scheduled should usually wait until they recover before getting chickenpox vaccine.
· Pregnant women should wait to get chickenpox vaccine until after they have given birth. Women should not get pregnant for 1 month after getting chickenpox vaccine.
· Some people should check with their doctor about whether they should get chickenpox vaccine, including anyone who:
o Has HIV/AIDS or another disease that affects the immune system
o Is being treated with drugs that affect the immune system, such as steroids, for 2 weeks or longer
o Has any kind of cancer
o Is taking cancer treatment with x-rays or drugs
· People who recently had a transfusion or were given other blood products should ask their doctor when they may get chickenpox vaccine.
Ask your doctor or nurse for more information
What are the risks from chickenpox vaccine?
A vaccine, like any medicine, is capable of causing serious problems, such as severe allergic reactions. The risk of chickenpox vaccine causing serious harm, or death, is extremely small.
Getting chickenpox vaccine is much safer than getting chickenpox disease.
Most people who get chickenpox vaccine do not have any problems with it.
Mild Problems
· Soreness or swelling where the shot was given (about 1 out of 5 children and up to 1 out of 3 adolescents and adults)
· Fever (1 person out of 10, or less)
· Mild rash, up to a month after vaccination (1 person out of 20, or less). It is possible for these people to infect other members of their household, but this is extremely rare.
Moderate Problems
· Seizure (jerking or staring) caused by fever (less than 1 person out of 1,000).
Severe Problems
· Pneumonia (very rare)
Other serious problems, including severe brain reactions and low blood count, have been reported after chickenpox vaccination. These happen so rarely experts cannot tell whether they are caused by the vaccine or not. If they are, it is extremely rare.
What if there is a moderate or severe reaction?
What should I look for?
Any unusual condition, such as a serious allergic reaction, high fever or behavior changes. Signs of a serious allergic reaction can include difficulty breathing, hoarseness or wheezing, hives, paleness, weakness, a fast heart beat or dizziness within a few minutes to a few hours after the shot. A high fever or seizure, if it occurs, would happen 1 to 6 weeks after the shot.
What should I do?
· Call a doctor, or get the person to a doctor right away.
· Tell your doctor what happened, the date and time it happened, and when the vaccination was given.
. Ask your doctor, nurse, or health department to file a Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) form, or call VAERS yourself at 1-800-822-7967
source: www.aap.org
The Disease
Varicella, or chickenpox, is one of the most common childhood diseases. It is caused by the varicella-zoster virus. Most people in the United States get chickenpox while they are still children. Until the late 1990's there were about 4 million cases a year. But now that people are using varicella vaccine, that number has begun to drop.
The most recognizable feature of chickenpox is an itchy rash all over the body. Children with chickenpox can also be drowsy and have a fever.
Chickenpox can be spread very easily from person to person. It is spread through the air, by coughing or sneezing, or even talking. It can also be spread by contact with fluid from the blisters. It usually takes 2-3 weeks from the time a child is exposed to chickenpox virus until he or she becomes ill. The disease is contagious from 1 or 2 days before the rash appears until all the blisters are dried up, which usually takes 4 to 5 days.
Chickenpox is usually a mild disease, uncomfortable but not dangerous. Still, serious problems do occur. The blisters can become infected, and some children get encephalitis (infection of the brain). Of every 100,000 infants under one year old who get chickenpox, about 4 die. For older children, 1 to 14 years old, about 1 in 100,000 dies. If a woman gets chickenpox just before or after giving birth, her baby can get very sick, and about 1 in 3 of these children die if they are not treated quickly.
Even when chickenpox is not serious, it can create problems for the family because the parents may have to miss work to care for the sick child. About 1 child out of 500 who get chickenpox must be hospitalized. For adults who get chickenpox, 1 in 50 must be hospitalized.
After a person has chickenpox, the virus stays in the body. Years later, it can cause a painful disease called zoster, or shingles.
The Immunization
Varicella vaccine is a live-virus vaccine. It has been used in some parts of the world, such as Japan, for over 20 years. It was licensed in the United States in 1995.
A single dose of varicella vaccine is recommended for children between 12 and 18 months of age. It is usually given at the same time as the MMR shot. Children who miss this shot can still get a single dose of the vaccine up to their 13th birthday. Adolescents or adults who haven't gotten the vaccine by their 13th birthday will need two doses, 4 to 8 weeks apart. A child who has already had chickenpox disease does not need to get the shot.
It appears that the vaccine prevents chickenpox in about 70% to 90% of people who get the shot, and prevents severe chickenpox in over 95%. The vaccine used in Japan is still protecting those people who were vaccinated 20 years ago. In the United States, people who were vaccinated during testing, before the vaccine was licensed, are still immune to chickenpox. The vaccine is expected to give lifelong immunity.
Occasionally even children who respond to the vaccine get a very mild case of chickenpox (about 1-2 children out of a hundred).
There is some concern that a child who gets chickenpox vaccine can actually give chickenpox to other, unprotected, family members. This appears to happen extremely rarely, and only when the child who was vaccinated develops a rash. To be safe, anyone with a suppressed immune system should consider avoiding contact with a child who develops a rash after getting the chickenpox vaccination, just as they should avoid anyone who has a case of chickenpox.
Side Effects from Varicella Immunization
Varicella vaccine is very safe. Some children (about 1 out of 5) get red or sore where the shot was given. Some children also get a mild rash (about 5 spots), about 1 to 3 weeks after the shot. Febrile seizures (seizures caused by fever) have occurred in less than 1 out of a thousand children; and other serious problems, such as inflammation of the brain (encephalitis) or loss of muscle coordination, have been reported very rarely. These problems happen so rarely that experts cannot tell whether or not they are caused by the vaccine, or just happen at the same time by chance.
Like any vaccine, or medicine, varicella vaccine could theoretically trigger a serious reaction in someone who is allergic to one of its components. But severe allergic reactions to childhood vaccines are very rare (estimated at around one per million doses), and no child is ever known to have died from an allergic reaction to a vaccine.
Precautions
There are several reasons a doctor might want to delay giving a child a varicella vaccination or not give it at all:
· A child who is known to have a severe allergy to gelatin or the antibiotic neomycin should not get varicella vaccine.
· A child who had a life-threatening allergic reaction after a dose of varicella vaccine should not get another dose.
· A child with a suppressed immune system (because of a disease such as cancer or HIV
infection, or medication such as steroids) should be evaluated by a doctor before getting varicella vaccine.
· A child who has recently gotten a transfusion or other blood product might have to wait several months before getting varicella vaccine.
· A child who has a moderate or severe illness on the day a varicella (or any) vaccination is scheduled should probably delay the vaccination until he or she has recovered.
After Getting Varicella Vaccine . . .
If the child has any serious or unusual problem after getting this vaccine, call a doctor or get the child to a doctor right away.
Why get vaccinated?
Chickenpox (also called varicella) is a common childhood disease. It is usually mild, but it can be serious, especially in young infants and adults.
· The chickenpox virus can be spread from person to person through the air, or by contact with fluid from chickenpox blisters.
· It causes a rash, itching, fever, and tiredness.
· It can lead to severe skin infection, scars, pneumonia, brain damage, or death.
· A person who has had chickenpox can get a painful rash called shingles years later.
· About 12,000 people are hospitalized for chickenpox each year in the United States.
· About 100 people die each year in the United States as a result of chickenpox.
Chickenpox vaccine can prevent chickenpox.
Most people who get chickenpox vaccine will not get chickenpox. But if someone who has been vaccinated does get chickenpox, it is usually very mild. They will have fewer spots, are less likely to have a fever, and will recover faster.
Who should get chickenpox vaccine and when?
Children should get 1 dose of chickenpox vaccine between 12 and 18 months of age, or at any age after that if they have never had
chickenpox.
People who do not get the vaccine until 13 years of age or older should get 2 doses, 4-8 weeks apart.
Ask your doctor or nurse for details.
Chickenpox vaccine may be given at the same time as other vaccines.
Some people should not get chickenpox vaccine or should wait
· People should not get chickenpox vaccine if they have ever had a life threatening allergic reaction to gelatin, the antibiotic neomycin, or (for those needing a second dose) a previous dose of chickenpox vaccine.
· People who are moderately or severely ill at the time the shot is scheduled should usually wait until they recover before getting chickenpox vaccine.
· Pregnant women should wait to get chickenpox vaccine until after they have given birth. Women should not get pregnant for 1 month after getting chickenpox vaccine.
· Some people should check with their doctor about whether they should get chickenpox vaccine, including anyone who:
o Has HIV/AIDS or another disease that affects the immune system
o Is being treated with drugs that affect the immune system, such as steroids, for 2 weeks or longer
o Has any kind of cancer
o Is taking cancer treatment with x-rays or drugs
· People who recently had a transfusion or were given other blood products should ask their doctor when they may get chickenpox vaccine.
Ask your doctor or nurse for more information
What are the risks from chickenpox vaccine?
A vaccine, like any medicine, is capable of causing serious problems, such as severe allergic reactions. The risk of chickenpox vaccine causing serious harm, or death, is extremely small.
Getting chickenpox vaccine is much safer than getting chickenpox disease.
Most people who get chickenpox vaccine do not have any problems with it.
Mild Problems
· Soreness or swelling where the shot was given (about 1 out of 5 children and up to 1 out of 3 adolescents and adults)
· Fever (1 person out of 10, or less)
· Mild rash, up to a month after vaccination (1 person out of 20, or less). It is possible for these people to infect other members of their household, but this is extremely rare.
Moderate Problems
· Seizure (jerking or staring) caused by fever (less than 1 person out of 1,000).
Severe Problems
· Pneumonia (very rare)
Other serious problems, including severe brain reactions and low blood count, have been reported after chickenpox vaccination. These happen so rarely experts cannot tell whether they are caused by the vaccine or not. If they are, it is extremely rare.
What if there is a moderate or severe reaction?
What should I look for?
Any unusual condition, such as a serious allergic reaction, high fever or behavior changes. Signs of a serious allergic reaction can include difficulty breathing, hoarseness or wheezing, hives, paleness, weakness, a fast heart beat or dizziness within a few minutes to a few hours after the shot. A high fever or seizure, if it occurs, would happen 1 to 6 weeks after the shot.
What should I do?
· Call a doctor, or get the person to a doctor right away.
· Tell your doctor what happened, the date and time it happened, and when the vaccination was given.
. Ask your doctor, nurse, or health department to file a Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) form, or call VAERS yourself at 1-800-822-7967
source: www.aap.org
posted by Chommar at 11:36 PM
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