IMMUNIZE AGAINST CHICKENPOX

By: Gary Weinberger,  MD

Grayson County is in the midst of chickenpox season!  Children are ill, and school attendance is down.  There are many children, however, who are now protected from chickenpox by a vaccine.

Chickenpox, or varicella infection, is a common and highly contagious viral infection which children and adults of all ages can catch.  The illness is contracted through respiratory droplets from a person with chickenpox or shingles.

The symptoms of chickenpox include a distinct itchy rash, fever, runny nose, and cough.  There is no treatment for the infection, and symptoms may last up to two weeks.

Although most cases of chickenpox are uneventful,  several serious complications are associated with the infection.  These complications include:  meningitis, seizures, skin infections (impetigo or cellulites), pneumonia, blood infection, ear infections, and dehydration.

Complications from chickenpox can even lead to death.  In fact, more children die from chickenpox than from the combination of all other diseases for which schools require proof of immunization.

Fortunately, there is protection against chickenpox for today’s children—varicella virus vaccine, or Varivax  R .  The vaccine may be administered to children and adults who are greater than one year old.

The vaccine is safe and well tolerated.  Some children may experience low-grade fever, pain or redness at the injection site, and, rarely, a chickenpox-like rash.  However, these side effects are much less serious than the actual infection.

Chickenpox was an expected and inevitable illness in the school-age child until the 1990’s.  Now there is a safe and effective alternative.  All children should receive this vaccine unless their pediatrician advises against it.  There is no time like the present to get immunized!