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May 1, 2002

U.S. IMMUNIZATION NEWS

"New Data Shows Fall in Chicken Pox With Vaccine Usage" Associated Press (www.ap.org) (04/30/02)

According to a study presented this week at the 36th National Immunization Conference in Denver, the number of chickenpox cases fell by as much as 84 percent in communities where children were vaccinated against the disease.  The number of U.S. children between the ages of 19 months and 35 months who were immunized against chickenpox last year rose to 73 percent, up from the 68 percent in 2000 and 57.5 percent in 1999.  The chicken pox vaccine was added to the recommended list of childhood immunizations by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention six years ago, and Colorado began mandating the vaccine last year.  Prior to the introduction of the vaccine, chickenpox struck between 3 million and 4 million children nationwide annually, resulting in 11,000 hospitalizations and 100 deaths each year.

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