Slide 20. Varicella Vaccine

 

Pediatricians were a little bit slow on the uptake of varicella vaccine because they were worried about whether the immunity that was induced by the vaccine would be enduring. And if it was not enduring, they worried that it might increase the number of susceptible adults who experience varicella in a more severe form. They were worried that instead of 10% of adults being susceptible, there might be 50% of adults susceptible, and we recognize that when adults acquire varicella, they tend to get more severe disease. There is a lot of enthusiasm in the public health sector as a consequence of information that we have learned through the use of measles vaccine to provide a second dose of varicella vaccine to our community. It is of some comfort to know that one of the large pharmaceutical companies is field testing a measles, mumps, rubella, and varicella vaccine (MMRV). The intent of the MMRV will be to give the primary dose at 12 to 15 months of age, and then the booster dose at 4 to 6 years of age, thus building in a booster dose for all of the primary immunizing agents.