This article is more than 5 years old. Information may no longer be current.
With vaccine use, varicella incidence continues to drop
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts
Use of varicella vaccine initially led to a 79% decrease in chickenpox cases across the United States from 2000 to 2010. Since 2006, when a second dose of varicella vaccine was added to the routine childhood immunization schedule, varicella incidence decreased 72%, with the largest decrease in children aged 5 to 9 years, according to data from the CDC.
CDC officials said the number of states with “adequate” surveillance for varicella also has increased, from 12 to 31 in the past decade. The researchers reported on four varicella-related deaths in 2010, noting that none of those patients had been vaccinated.
The AAP and the CDC recommend that children receive two doses of varicella vaccine, with the first at 12 to 15 months and the second at 4 to 6 years of age. CDC officials said as more children get the two-dose series, further declines in varicella are expected. They also urged increased surveillance.
In October, the AAP released a statement that highlighted a preference for the combination measles-mumps-rubella-varicella combination vaccine (ProQuad, Merck) over separate injections of measles-mumps-rubella (M-M-R II, Merck) and varicella (Varivax, Merck) vaccines for children aged older than 4 years, unless the child has a familial history of seizures.
“To continue monitoring the implementation and impact of the two-dose program effectively, it is increasingly important for all states to move toward case-based varicella surveillance,” the researchers concluded. “These data will be critical for informing vaccination policy moving forward.”
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts