Patients In Health Care Institutions
Most residents of long-term care facilities will be immune to varicella. Post-partum women susceptible to varicella should be vaccinated before discharge. Refer to Immunization of Patients in Health Care Institutions in Part 3 for additional information about varicella vaccination of patients in health care institutions.
Persons With Inadequate Immunization Records
Children and adults, who are susceptible to varicella, including those lacking adequate documentation of immunization, should be started on an immunization schedule appropriate for their age and risk factors. Varicella-containing vaccine may be given regardless of possible previous receipt of the vaccine, because adverse events associated with repeated immunization have not been demonstrated. Refer to Immunization of Persons with Inadequate Immunization Records in Part 3 for additional information.
How It Is Transmitted
Varicella is solely a human disease and is one of the most readily infectious illnesses. The virus can be spread by direct contact with fluid in the lesions or through the airborne spread from the respiratory tract. The attack rate among susceptible contacts in household settings is estimated at 65%-87%.
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Why Is The Chickenpox Vaccine Important
Chickenpox is very contagious it spreads easily from person to person. And while its usually mild, it can cause serious complications like pneumonia . Certain people like infants, people with weakened immune systems, and pregnant women are at increased risk for complications.
The chickenpox virus can also cause shingles later in life. Shingles is a disease that causes a painful skin rash and can affect the nervous system. Children who get the chickenpox vaccine may have a lower risk of developing shingles later on and those who do get shingles often have a milder case than someone who has had chickenpox.
Getting vaccinated is the best way to prevent chickenpox. And when enough people get vaccinated against chickenpox, the entire community is less likely to get it. So when you and your family get vaccinated, you help keep yourselves and your community healthy.
Chickenpox is caused by a virus. Symptoms of chickenpox include:
- A red, itchy skin rash with blisters
- Fever
- Not feeling hungry
- Headache
Chickenpox usually spreads when a person touches chickenpox or shingles blisters or if they breathe in the virus. You can breathe in the virus after someone with chickenpox or shingles scratches their blisters, which releases the virus into the air.
Its also possible to get chickenpox from breathing in tiny droplets from people who have it that get into the air after they breathe or talk. Learn more about chickenpox.
Children
Adults
Why Not Just Let My Child Be Naturally Exposed To Chickenpox
Some parents concerned about the safety of the chickenpox vaccine throw chickenpox parties to purposely expose their children to chickenpox as toddlers, since it is much less serious at a younger age than in older children and adults. There are two problems with this reasoning:
- As we have mentioned above, chickenpox can be serious in some children, even though it is usually a mild, weeklong nuisance. Some children can get severe complications, such as pneumonia, encephalitis, overwhelming bacterial infections, and there have been around a hundred deaths reported from chickenpox. It is a nuisance and risk that children no longer need to endure.
- Because so many children are now receiving the vaccine as part of their routine immunizations , there are fewer children around to naturally expose unvaccinated children. So, as VV becomes more widely used, the chance of your child getting chickenpox naturally becomes less.
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Who Should Be Vaccinated Against Chickenpox
Chickenpox vaccination is recommended and funded in New Zealand for the following groups:
- children turning 15 months of age
- children turning 11 years of age who have never been infected with or previously vaccinated against chickenpox.
The vaccine is funded for certain high-risk individuals and/or their close contacts, regardless of age. People with a weakened immune system are at high risk, but may not be able to have the vaccination themselves, so it’s recommended that close contacts of these people be vaccinated. Discuss this with your GP.
Chickenpox vaccination is also recommended, but not funded, for:
- teenagers and adults who have never been infected with or vaccinated against chickenpox
- women who are planning a pregnancy and have never been infected with or vaccinated against chickenpox, such as those born and raised in tropical countries
- people who are not immune to chickenpox and who are working in professions where they come into contact with young children
- parents who have not had chickenpox.
Is The Vaccine Given Any Differently To Teenagers And Adults
Yes. Adults and adolescents over thirteen years of age should receive two doses of the vaccine four to eight weeks apart, a regimen which raises the effective rate of the vaccine from 75 percent from one injection to 99 percent after the second injection. If a teen or adult forgets to get the second dose four to eight weeks after the first, its not necessary to restart the two-dose series. Getting a second dose at any time after the first one will certainly boost the chances for full immunity.
NOTE: Spare your teen having to get two shots: get your child the VV by age twelve.
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Who Is Eligible To Receive The Publicly Funded Vaccine
Children who were born on or after January 1, 2000 are eligible to get two doses of the publicly funded vaccine.
People with medical conditions that put them at increased risk for complications due to chicken pox will also be eligible:
This includes:
- children and adolescents given chronic salicylic acid therapy
- people with cystic fibrosis
- immunocompromised individuals – this should be determined on an individual basis. The vaccine is recommended for some immunocompromised persons, but contraindicated for others. Please discuss this with your doctor.
Is The Chickenpox Vaccine Safe Can My Child Get Chickenpox From It
Yes and yes. Before a vaccine can be licensed, it has to be proven to be both safe and effective and VV is both. Yet, the following reactions have been reported:
- Around 20 percent of persons experience minor pain, redness, and swelling at the injection site.
- Three to five percent of immunized children develop a mild and noncontagious form of chickenpox, consisting of a low-grade fever and a few spots. While most of these rashes occur within two weeks after the injection, these blister-like spots can occur any time between five to 26 days after the immunization. The risk of developing a vaccine-induced herpes zoster infection in persons receiving VV has been estimated to be around two per 100,000 cases. However, the risk would be higher in persons who have compromised immune systems.
- Note: The mild case of chickenpox that may occur in a few children that receive the vaccine is not generally contagious.
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How Is Shingles Treated
Because the shingles virus is a herpes virus, the mainstay of treatment involves antiviral therapy for a minimum of one to two weeks. Its extremely important to complete the course of therapy even if you are feeling better. It usually takes about 48 to 72 hours to see the impact of the antiviral medication. When initiated quickly after the onset of symptoms, antiviral medication may shorten the severity and duration of the illness and decrease the chance of developing PHN.
Pain is most often treated with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications, although sometimes the pain is so severe that narcotic medication is required. If the patient cannot tolerate narcotics, we can also prescribe anticonvulsant drugs.
Itching can be treated with over-the-counter medications such as cortisone, calamine lotion and Benadryl cream. The goal is not to scratch the blisters, which could cause the area to become infected. Topical medications can also be used to protect the skin from infection.
It is possible to get shingles more than once. Patients who suspect they may be experiencing a recurrence of shingles should begin treatment as soon as they observe the new symptoms, since early treatment may prevent these patients from getting the full-blown rash.
Measles Mumps And Rubella
Measles, Mumps, and Rubella are viral infections that have each caused widespread, deadly disease outbreaks. Throughout the 1960s, individual vaccines were developed for each of them, but a decade later, they were combined into one.
Measles was the first of the three to receive its own vaccine in 1963, followed by mumps in 1967, and rubella in 1969. Two years later, in 1971, Maurice Hilleman of the Merck Institute of Therapeutic Research developed a combined vaccination that would provide immunity for all three viruses.
Hilleman was credited with creating the first measles and mumps vaccine, and began researching ways to incorporate a system of immunity for each virus. Using his previous research and a rubella vaccine developed by Stanley Plotkin in 1969, he created the first successful MMR vaccine in just two years.
According to the CDC, “One dose of MMR vaccine is 93% effective against measles, 78% effective against mumps, and 97% effective against rubella.”
“Two doses of MMR vaccine are 97% effective against measles and 88% effective against mumps.”
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Why Is Vaccination Against Chickenpox Important
In most people, chickenpox is a mild disease that doesn’t cause any lasting problems. Around 1 in 20 healthy children develop a bacterial skin infection from chickenpox, which needs antibiotic medicine. Untreated bacterial skin infections can lead to bacterial infection in other parts of your body, including pneumonia and blood stream infection . Other complications of chickenpox are rare and include encephalitis and inflammation of your joints, kidneys and liver. Chickenpox tends to be more severe in adolescents and adults, pregnant women and their unborn babies and people of any age with poorly functioning immune systems. Read more about chickenpox.
Making A Decision About Immunisation
Effectiveness
One dose of the vaccine will protect around four out of five people from any kind of chickenpox and almost everyone from severe chickenpox.
Some people who have been vaccinated may still get chickenpox, but they will have a milder illness.
Vaccination provides long term but probably not lifelong immunity to chickenpox.
Risks associated with chickenpox
- Every year in New Zealand about 60,000 people catch chickenpox. Several hundred people need hospital treatment, and one or two people either die or suffer from long-term disability as a result of chickenpox.
- The severity and risk of complications is greater for adults. Complications can include severe skin infection, pneumonia and inflammation of the brain, kidney problems and sometimes death.
- Pregnant women and their babies are at greater risk of harm from chickenpox. Chickenpox is also dangerous for people whose immune systems are weak, and people with liver or kidney problems.
- The lesions may leave mild scarring in some skin types. Chickenpox can lead to shingles many decades after the initial disease.
Risks associated with the vaccine
Who shouldnt have the vaccine?
You shouldnt get immunised against chickenpox if you:
- are pregnant
- have a severe allergy to the vaccine or its ingredients, or an immune deficiency condition.
If you have further questions, talk to your doctor or practice nurse or call the Immunisation Advisory Centre free helpline 0800 IMMUNE .
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Side Effects Of Chickenpox Vaccine
The chickenpox vaccine is effective and safe, but all medications can have unwanted side effects. Side effects from chickenpox vaccine can occur five to 26 days after immunisation and include a mild chickenpox-like rash, usually at the injection site, but occasionally elsewhere on the body. Other mild side effects occurring in the first few days after immunisation include:
- localised pain, redness and swelling at the injection site
- occasionally, an injection-site lump that may last many weeks
- fever in the five to 12 days after immunisation.
What Is Chickenpox Vaccine
Chickenpox vaccine protects against infection from the varicella zoster virus, which causes chickenpox infection. The virus is easily spread by sneezing and coughing, or by contact with weeping chickenpox blisters. You can even catch the chickenpox virus from touching clothing or other objects that have fluid from the blister on them.The chickenpox vaccine is a live vaccine which is made using chickenpox viruses that have been weakened , before being included in the vaccine. After vaccination, the weakened vaccine viruses replicate inside you. This means a very small dose of virus is given to stimulate a response by your immune system. Live attenuated vaccines don’t usually cause disease in vaccinated people who have a healthy immune system. When a live attenuated vaccine does cause any illness, it is usually milder than if you had caught the disease. Live attenuated vaccines given by injection are generally effective after one dose.
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How Do You Get Chicken Pox
Chicken pox is extremely contagious. It spreads very quickly from person to person. The most common way the infection is spread is through the air if someone with chicken pox coughs or sneezes. You can also get chicken pox if you touch a blister or the liquid from a blister.
A pregnant woman with chicken pox can pass it on to her unborn baby before birth. Mothers with chicken pox can also give it to their newborn baby after birth.
How Safe Is The Chickenpox Vaccine
It is very safe.
- There may be some redness, swelling, itching or pain where the needle went into the arm or leg, usually 5-23 days after vaccination. This is not dangerous and will only last a day or two.
- Some people may have a fever 5-12 days after vaccination.
- A few people will get a very mild case of a chickenpox-like rash 1 or 2 weeks after they get the vaccine.
Do not give your child ibuprofen or acetaminophen before or around the time of vaccination as it does not prevent the pain of injection and it could have an impact on how well the vaccine works. These medications can be used to treat fever, pain, or other bothersome side effects if they develop after vaccination.
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If I Develop Shingles How Long Does It Last And Are There Any Long
Active symptoms typically last an average of 10 to 15 days, although these symptoms can linger depending on how extensive the affected area is. Some people develop blisters that leak fluid before crusting over. Patients can also experience flu-like symptoms, including body aches, fever, chills, and fatigue. It typically takes four to six weeks for all the symptoms of shingles to resolve.
Postherpetic neuralgia is the worst complication of shingles and the risk of experiencing this complication increases with age. PHN is a severe nerve pain that can last from days or weeks to months or even years in extreme cases. Anyone whose rash occurs on the scalp, neck and shoulder area may be at an increased risk of experiencing PHN. While the majority of individuals who get shingles will not have PHN, it can be debilitating for those who do experience it.
Will The Third Booster Shot Be Our Last Israeli Doctors Explain The Science Behind It
The measles vaccine lasts forever. The chickenpox vaccine is good for as long as 20 years. The DTaP requires five doses before the age of seven, but then it offers protection for at least 10 years.
So why do we assume that we will have to get a shot of the coronavirus vaccine every six months or year?
There are reasons why individuals might need a COVID booster at least every year, but also some reasons why the third shot may, in fact, be our last.
The first reason we might need a fourth shot is because of the decay of our own antibodies and immune response, explained Dr. Oren Kobiler of Tel Aviv Universitys Sackler Faculty of Medicine.
Recent studies have shown that the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine wanes after four to six months, making individuals more prone to infection. A booster dose does exactly what its name implies: It boosts our antibodies, offering greater protection against the virus.
Another reason we might need repeated shots is due to variants, or what is known in scientific terms as antigenic drift. If the virus is always changing, then our vaccines will need to be updated to protect against the latest threat.
Some viruses, such as polio, measles and mumps, do not change a lot, hence the vaccines continue to be effective. In contrast, influenza changes every year, so people receive a new flu vaccine to protect against it.
Another thing to consider is how good the immune response really is that is induced by the vaccine.
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How Are Children Protected Against Chicken Pox
Vaccines or needles are the best way to protect children against some very serious infections. The National Advisory Committee on Immunization strongly recommends routine immunization.
The first dose of varicella vaccine is routinely given to children at 15 months of age and the second dose of varicella vaccine is given in combination with measles, mumps and rubella at 4-6 years of age. It will protect them from this common childhood disease and its potential for serious complications, such as bacterial skin infections.
Since Chickenpox If Often Just A Harmless Nuisance Why Should Children Get The Vaccine
Before the chickenpox vaccine was available, each year in the United States around four million people developed chickenpox, resulting in around 150,000 to 200,000 persons having complicated chickenpox. Around 14,000 persons were hospitalized each year because of these complications, and around 100 reported people have died from the complications of chickenpox. Approximately half of the chickenpox- related deaths occurred in children. In fact, in the U.S., chickenpox is the leading cause of death from a disease preventable by immunizations. Another fact indicating that chickenpox is not the benign disease its reputed to be is that around 1 in 80,000 healthy children who get chickenpox die as a result of the disease.
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