Mother nursing Varicella sick child
Varicella, or as it is better known to us – Chickenpox, is caused by the Varicella Zoster virus. It is spread by the infected person’s coughing and sneezing. Chickenpox is easily identified as an itchy rash made up of blisters; the fluids secreted by these blisters are also contagious. Chickenpox is contagious from a day or two before the rashes appear until the blisters have crusted over. The blisters last for 4 – 7 days and can easily become infected by bacteria, which is the most common complication suffered by children. The younger a person is, the less sever the infection tends to be with it, becoming very dangerous in adults. This is because the virus encourages the other viruses that cause hepatitis, encephalitis and pneumonia.
In 1995 the US introduced the Varicella vaccine and many government-run schools require children to have this vaccination, although many are willing to make exceptions for medical, philosophical and religious reasons. The vaccine is injected into the fatty tissue and is done in two doses: the first one preferably at 12 -15 months and the second at 4 – 6 years old.
Why should your child get vaccinated? Prior to the release of the Varicella vaccine in the US about 4 million people caught the disease every year. Over 10 000 of these people would be hospitalized for it, and 100 -150 people would die from it. Most of the people who died were adults. After the introduction of the Varicella vaccine in 1995, cases of Chickenpox have been reduced by about 90%, the number of hospitalizations is now 3.5 times lower and deaths have decreased by 78%, most of this decrease has come from the 1 – 4 year old age group.
As with all things in life, the Varicella vaccine does have the small possibility of negative side-effects. The most common side-effects are minor and include those usual with any injection: stiffness and soreness at the site. Other side-effects include a small rash and a fever. Some people have developed shingles – a painful rash on one side of the body, usually in a stripe. Most of the people who developed shingles had very minor cases. The serious side effects of pneumonia, seizures and anaphylaxis are very rare. In order to avoid these side-effects as much as possible the Varicella vaccine should be avoided by people who are very ill, especially with immuno-suppressing illnesses, people that are taking steroids, and people that have had a blood-transfusion in the last 5 months or are being treated for cancer. Pregnant women and people allergic to gelatine or neomycin should also avoid it. If the Varicella vaccine was given many years ago it is possible to catch chickenpox when in close contact with an infected person, but signs of illness are not readily shown.
The Varicella vaccine is made of the live, attenuated Varicella Zoster virus. What does this mean? This means that scientists have made the virus harmless, or less potent, but the virus is still alive. This makes a lot of people very nervous, but it actually has a lot of advantages to the patient over a “dead” virus being used: it activates the whole immune system, immunity tends to last longer with less frequent booster shots and the patient develops immunity much faster than other vaccination methods.
All in all, the Varicella virus has been found to be an effective method of combating this disease.
