CDC reports dramatic decrease in chickenpox cases and hospitalizations in areas with increasing use of vaccine.(Brief Article)

2002 JUN 26 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- During the period from July 2000 to June 2001, an estimated 73% of United States children aged 19-35 months were vaccinated to protect them from chickenpox (varicella), up from 68% in 2000 and 57.5% in 1999. The data were presented by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) during a workshop at the 36th National Immunization Conference, in Denver, Colorado.

"In 1995, the United States became the first country to recommend varicella for routine childhood protection," said Dr. Jane Seward, chief of the CDC's child vaccine preventable disease branch. "In just a few short years, we have made great strides in educating health care providers and parents about the benefits of this vaccine."

Before the introduction of the varicella vaccine, 3-4 million cases of varicella occurred each year, resulting in approximately 11,000 hospitalizations and 100 deaths annually. Since varicella is not a nationally reportable disease in the U.S., national surveillance data are not available to monitor the impact of the varicella vaccination program. However, a recently published surveillance study of three large communities with moderate vaccine coverage revealed a marked decrease in the number and rates of cases and related ...