Chickenpox is a fairly harmless and mild disease for most people, but in some it can be deadly. According to BabyCenter, before the vaccine for chickenpox was developed, between 100 to 150 people died as a result of chickenpox and over 10,000 were hospitalized each year. The varicella vaccine was released in 1995 and protects against chickenpox.
Description
The varicella vaccine against chickenpox is a live virus vaccine, which means that it contains a weakened version of the original virus. When injected, the vaccine causes the immune system to mount a response that allows it to destroy any future chickenpox virus that enter the body. According to Dr Sears, the chickenpox vaccine is about 95 percent effective at completely preventing the disease and 100 percent effective at preventing severe complications of chickenpox.
Benefits
Because chicken pox can be deadly in some, the vaccine saves lives. It can also protect against shingles, a disease in which the chicken pox virus reactivates in the body of an adult and causes painful sores and blisters. People can still get chickenpox or shingles despite the vaccine, but having been vaccinated lessens the symptoms.
Safety and Side Effects
The varicella vaccine is extremely safe and side effects are typically mild. According to BabyCenter, about 20 percent of people experience soreness at the injection site and ten percent develop a mild fever after getting the vaccine. A mild form of chicken pox occurs in about four percent of vaccinated children, but this variant of the disease is not contagious and typically involves less than ten sores or blisters. About one in 1,000 children develop a febrile seizure, which is a harmless seizure caused by fever, after the shot. According to a 2010 study in the journal "Pediatrics," there is a higher risk of febrile seizures when the varicella vaccine is issued in combination with the vaccines for measles, mumps and rubella as the MMRV vaccine. As with all vaccines, an allergic reaction is possible but highly unlikely.
Contraindications
Some people should not get the chickenpox vaccine. These include pregnant women, babies under one year old and people who have had an allergic reaction to gelatin or the antibiotic neomycin. People who are immunocompromised should also avoid the vaccine. Individuals taking high doses of cortisone or any drugs that lower immunity may want to wait to receive the vaccine until after stopping their medication.
Recommendations
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that all children under the age of 12 receive the varicella vaccine. The recommended schedule for the varicella vaccine is to receive two shots at least three months apart. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that the first shot should be given when the child is between 12 and 15 months old and the second shot should be given between the ages of four and six.
