Chicken Pox
Chickenpox (varicella) is a common illness that causes an itchy rash and red spots or blisters (pox) all over the body. Until the release of the chickenpox vaccine in 1995, it was a common childhood infection, most commonly manifesting in children 7 to 9 years of age. Chickenpox is inconvenient, but it isn't serious in the vast majority of children. The chickenpox vaccine was developed so parents would not be "inconvenienced" and have to miss work to care for their ill child.
After a person has chickenpox, s/he is unlikely to contract it again. However, the virus can remain in the body long the itchy rash resolved. Long term immunity as adults has always been maintained by re-exposure to the virus during an episode of chickenpox in their children or grandchildren. With the elimination of the chickenpox virus, long-term immunity is waning in millions of adults. The virus can be reactivated, leading to a painful skin infection referred to shingles. In response, Zostavax, the vaccine for shingles, was developed. We are now creating vaccines to address problems caused by a vaccine.
KEY: VZV = Varicella - Zoster Virus
KEY: Varicella = Chickenpox
- KEY: Zoster = shingles
Package inserts:
- VARIVAX - Varicella Virus Vaccine Live package insert (pdf)
- ProQuad - Measles, Mumps, Rubella and Varicella Virus Vaccine - Live Refrigerator-stable formulation Lyophilized preparation for subcutaneous injection package insert Web archive (pdf)
- ProQuad - Measles, Mumps, Rubella and Varicella Virus Vaccine Live Lyophilized preparation for subcutaneous injection FDA (pdf)
October 2022 - A Case of Herpes Zoster Due to Varicella-Zoster Virus Vaccines in a 14-Month-old Girl "The incidence of HZ due to VZV vaccines was reported as 0.11 per 100,000 doses in children. Only 15 cases have been reported between 2005 and 2020 in Japan. In 15 previously reported cases, 3 cases were reported in immunocompromised children. The child that we report is the youngest from the first dose of the VZV vaccine until the presentation of HZ in an immunocompetent child. HZ due to VZV vaccines tend to appear at the vaccination site, and the vaccine strain was detected in half of the cases of zoster-like skin rashes after vaccination. Comparing the vaccine strain with wild-type VZV in HZ, HZ due to VZV vaccines occurs in younger children (median age 1 vs. 9.5) and a shorter time from vaccination (median days 167 vs. 2506)."
September 18, 2018 -Impact of history of febrile convulsions on the risk difference of febrile convulsions with the tetravalent measles–mumps–rubella–varicella vaccine: Post-hoc exploratory analysis of results from a matched-cohort study Conclusions: The results of this assumption-based analysis suggest that the risk of febrile convulsions following the first dose of MMRV could be lowered by administering the tetravalent vaccine to children with no personal or family history of FC, and vaccinating children with a personal or family history of FC with separate but concomitant MMR+Varivax vaccines.
September 7, 2018 -Vaccine Strain Varicella Infection in an Infant with Previously Undiagnosed Perinatal Human Immunodeficiency Type-1 Infection "A 15-month-old infant with a history of developmental delay and weight loss with multiple hospital admissions was diagnosed with a pustular lesion identified as vaccine strain varicella at the vaccination site. He was ultimately determined to be HIV infected following a protracted evaluation which did not initially include HIV since his mother was confirmed HIV seronegative at 3 months gestation." Comment: One size does not fit all in the vaccine agenda.
March 31, 2018 -The US Universal Varicella Vaccination Program: CDC Censorship of Adverse Public Health Consequences "'The CDC mainly published selective studies and manipulated findings to support universal varicella vaccination and aggressively blocked the Research Analyst’s attempt to publish deleterious trends or outcomes (e.g., declining vaccine efficacy, increasing HZ incidence rates, etc.), prompting his resignation in protest against what he perceived was research fraud. His letter of resignation stated, ”When research data concerning a vaccine used in human populations is being suppressed and/or misrepresented, this is very disturbing and goes against all scientific norms and compromises professional ethics.”
March 13, 2018 - Varicella-Zoster Virus DNA in Blood After Administration of Herpes Zoster Vaccine (full text) "Varicella-Zoster DNAemia could represent vaccine-virus DNA 'escaped from the vaccination site into the blood... Distinguishing VZV viremia from DNAemia would inform several issues in clinical virology:
- (1) it would indicate the potential for vaccine strain VZV to reach ganglia distant from the vaccination site and potentially cause herpes zoster (shingles);
- (2) it would indicate how long to delay immune suppression in patients receiving varicella-zoster virus (VZV) DNA prior to such therapy;
- (3) it would clarify how viremia, rather than noninfectious VZV components in the blood, influence the nature of the postvaccine immune response; and
- (4) it would indicate how pre-existing immunity of recipients of zoster live virus vaccine might alter replication of vaccine strain virus and affect the efficacy of the vaccine.
March 7, 2018 - The National Vaccine Advisory Committee at 30: Impact and opportunity "Notably, in 1988 ACIP recommended vaccination of all children against 8 illnesses (i.e., diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, polio, measles, mumps, rubella, and Haemophilus influenzae type b), and 30 years later the recommendations cover 16 diseases (i.e., the 8 above plus hepatitis B, hepatitis A, rotavirus, pneumococcal disease, influenza, meningococcal disease, HPV, and varicella). ... Further, despite substantial progress in reducing vaccine-preventable diseases of childhood (due to very high coverage with highly effective vaccines), significant effort remains to achieve the same for adults. NVAC will most likely need to focus on overcoming barriers and facilitating vaccine uptake of recommended vaccines for adults. In addition, vaccine hesitancy and vaccine confidence will likely continue to represent priorities, for which NVAC will likely play a continued role in addressing public and professional concerns."
August 3, 2017 - Varicella outbreak in a highly-vaccinated school population in Beijing, China during the voluntary two-dose era "Conclusion Moderate two-dose varicella vaccine coverage was insufficient to prevent a varicella outbreak. Two-dose recipients with breakthrough varicella are contagious. High two-dose varicella vaccine coverage and timely isolation of cases may be needed for varicella outbreak prevention in the two-dose era.
July 2017 - Keratitis in association with herpes zoster and varicella vaccines."The mechanism may be the persistence of viral antigens in the cornea after VZV vaccination or herpes zoster ophthalmicus. This reaction is probable, given the plausible biological mechanism, the temporal relationship between vaccination and keratitis, and overall patterns of presentation after vaccination."
June 2017 - Laboratory Diagnosis of Breakthrough Varicella in Children
"Results: We confirmed the breakthrough Varicella diagnosis in 31 of 42 enrolled patients. The sensitivity of DFA imaging of the lesion, and PCR of saliva and blood were 93.5%, 87.1% and 61.3%, respectively. IgM was detected in 12.9% of patients during the acute phase and in 65.5% during the convalescent phase. IgG increased more than 4-fold in 86.2% of patients between the acute and convalescent phases. The sensitivity and specificity of the assay were 83.9% and 81.8%, respectively, when the diagnostic criteria for IgG were set to greater than 20 during the acute phase."
May 9, 2017 - A novel combined vaccine based on monochimeric VLP co-displaying multiple conserved epitopes against enterovirus 71 and varicella-zoster virus "Collectively, our study not only demonstrated that HBc-V/1/2 is a promising candidate combined vaccine for Hand-Foot-Mouth disease (HFMD) and Chickenpox but also provides a novel strategy for the design of combined vaccines."
April 25, 2017 - Varicella seroepidemiology in United States air force recruits: A retrospective cohort study comparing the immunogenicity of varicella vaccination and natural infection "Conclusion: Despite prior vaccination, seroimmunity in a large cohort of young adults unexposed to wild-type chickenpox virus failed to meet the estimated threshold for herd immunity. If vaccination in accordance with the current US VZV vaccination schedule is inadequate to maintain herd immunity, young adults not previously exposed to wild-type chickenpox virus may be at increased risk for varicella outbreaks."
February 2017 - Safety of Second-Dose Single-Antigen Varicella Vaccine "We identified 14,641 Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System reports (VAERS) after second-dose varicella vaccination, with 494 (3%) classified as serious. Among nonserious reports, injection site reactions were most common (48% of children aged 4–6 years, 38% of children aged 7–18 years). The most common AEs among serious reports were pyrexia (31%) for children aged 4 to 6 years and headache (28%) and vomiting (27%) for children aged 7 to 18 years.
Serious reports of selected AEs included anaphylaxis (83), meningitis (5), encephalitis (16), cellulitis (52), chickenpox (6), herpes zoster (6), and deaths (7). One immunosuppressed adolescent was reported with vaccine-strain herpes zoster. AEs were reported more frequently after second-dose varicella vaccination compared with other vaccines.
December 20, 2016 - The Relationship Between Herpes Zoster, Syphilis and Chickenpox "Originally regarded as occurring along the distribution of peripheral nerves, it has been recognized, since the epoch-marking discoveries of Henry Head, as having a segmental distribution. Certain aspects of the disease, particularly its relationship to syphilis, have recently been discussed by Brown and Dujardin. These observers noted that herpes zoster was distinctly more prevalent among a group of soldiers under observation for syphilis than it was among an unselected group of patients from the civilian population of the district. Among the syphilitics, zoster occurred in a proportion of four cases per thousand, while among the general population the disease occurred only in the proportion of one case per thousand."
December 13, 2016 - Anaphylaxis after Zoster Vaccine: Implicating Alpha-Gal Allergy as a Possible Mechanism "A patient with alpha-gal allergy presented with anaphylaxis after receiving zoster vaccine. Subsequent testing of selected vaccines revealed the presence of an allergen in MMR and zoster vaccines, which have in common a higher content of gelatin and content of bovine calf serum."
November 2016 - Varicella Vaccination of Children With Leukemia Without Interruption of Maintenance Therapy: A Danish Experience (full text) "'Twenty-five of all vaccinated children (56%) developed a vaccine-induced chickenpox rash within a median time of 27 days (16–43), and of these, the majority (80%) developed fever at a median duration of 2 days (range: 1–5 days). Among the children that did not receive acyclovir prophylaxis, 65% (22/34) developed a rash (Table 2). Sixteen (64%) of all children with a rash had a small number of lesions, 5 (20%) had a moderate number of lesions and 4 (16%) had multiple lesions. Acyclovir prophylaxis was associated with a reduced risk of rash. Four children experienced reactivation of their vaccine-induced rash at day 49–57 after vaccination of whom 2 cases were verified as vaccine type. Four children developed herpes zoster at day 64, 70, 78 and 442 from vaccination.
September 2016 - The Cost-effectiveness of Varicella Zoster Virus Vaccination Considering Late Onset Asthma "Conclusion: VZV vaccination program was less costly than the 'no-vaccination' scenario, despite delayed-onset of asthma post-VZV infection. However, chickenpox vaccination resulted in increased asthma morbidity and mortality. This adds to current evidence that VZV vaccination is cost-effective, and may alter asthma-related health-care outcomes. VZV’s effect on asthma symptoms still needs further evaluation before firm conclusions can be reached." Comment: Any adverse event needs "more confirmation" - no matter how many times it is seen.
June 15, 2016 - Varicella Zoster Virus and Giant Cell Arteritis (full text) "The live attenuated varicella-zoster virus (VZV) vaccine has greatly reduced the prevalence of varicella; however, the vaccine virus, establishes latency and can reactivate to give rise to zoster. The varicella vaccine was licensed in the United States in 1995. This event and the consequent near-universal administration of the vaccine caused the incidence of varicella to decline by >90%; nevertheless, the incidence of herpes zoster (shingle) has not declined significantly over the same period.
June 14, 2016 - First Do No Harm: Scientific Evidence Implicating Allopathic Vaccination "The MMR (measles-mumps-rubella) vaccine increases the probability of requiring emergency care. It also increases the risk of seizures and thrombocytopenia, a serious bleeding disorder. Infections experienced during childhood, such as measles, mumps and chickenpox, encourage normal development of the immune system in most children, offering protection against heart disease, strokes and cancer in adulthood. Vaccines—which are designed to prevent infections—increase cancer rates."
June 2016 - Disseminated Varicella-Zoster Virus After Vaccination in an Immunocompetent Patient "The authors describe a 53-year-old woman with no known immunodeficiency who presented with diffuse pruritic rash [chickenpox] 17 days after receiving the live varicella vaccine [chickenpox]. She had a low level of white blood cells and received a diagnosis of thrombocytopenia with elevated aminotransferase levels. Punch biopsy demonstrated positive VZV immunostaining and viral culture positive for VZV."
May 2016 - Breakthrough Varicella Zoster Virus Infection in an Immunized Child with Cystic Fibrosis
April 15, 2016 - The Epidemiology of Herpes Zoster After Varicella Immunization Under Different Biological Hypotheses: Perspectives From Mathematical Modeling "All models predict a qualitatively similar, but quantitatively heterogeneous, transient increase of HZ [shingles] incidence. In particular, novel estimates from the progressive immunity model predict the largest increase in natural HZ and the largest incidence of HZ [shingles] cases from reactivation of the vaccine strain, 'which in the long term will likely outnumber pre-vaccination numbers. Our results reinforce the idea that a better understanding of HZ pathogenesis is required 'before further mass varicella immunization programs are set out."
March 15, 2016 - Proposed Revised Vaccine Information Materials for Polio and Varicella Vaccines "The vaccines initially covered under the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program were diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, measles, mumps, rubella and poliomyelitis vaccines. Since April 15, 1992, 'any health care provider in the United States who administers one of these covered vaccines is required to provide copies of the relevant vaccine information materials prior to administration of any of these vaccines. Since then, the following vaccines have been added to the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program, requiring use of vaccine information materials for them as well: hepatitis B, Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib), varicella (chickenpox), pneumococcal conjugate, rotavirus, hepatitis A, meningococcal, human papillomavirus (HPV), and seasonal influenza vaccines. Instructions for use of the vaccine information materials are found on the CDC Web site at: http://www.cdc.gov/
January 13, 2016 - Varicella vaccine without human serum albumin versus licensed varicella vaccine in children during the second year of life: a randomized, double-blind, non-inferiority trial (full text) "GSK’s varicella vaccine contains human serum albumin (HSA) which is used to stabilize the virus and prevent immunogens from adhering to the injection vial walls. However, because HSA is derived from human blood, there is a theoretical risk that it might contain infectious agents which could be unsafe for humans. Given this concern, a study was undertaken to compare the immunogenicity and safety of a new formulation without HSA with the currently licensed varicella vaccine in the Czech Republic and Hungary."..."The European Medicines Agency has advised vaccine manufacturers to gradually eliminate the use of blood-derived products of human origin because of a theoretical risk of contamination."
August 11, 2015 - Integrating between-host transmission and within-host immunity to analyze the impact of varicella vaccination on zoster (full text) "A reduction in exogenous re-exposure 'opportunities' through universal chickenpox vaccination could lead to an increase in HZ [shingles] incidence." Comment: By eliminating chickenpox from circulation, we are now creating vaccines to treat problems associated with vaccines. It is anticipated that in the US alone, we will see an increase of 50M cases of shingles over the next 10-15 years. Each year, that adds $700M in health care expenditures.
July 17, 2015 - Risk of febrile seizure after measles–mumps–rubella–
June 10, 2015 - Outbreak of varicella in a highly vaccinated preschool population (pdf) "Breakthrough infection with fever in vaccinated person may be infectious to an unvaccinated person. As the level of varicella vaccination heightens and varicella morbidity declines, the transmissions to susceptible persons due to breakthrough varicella should be assessed." Comment: In other words, a person vaccinated with the chickenpox vaccine can shed the live virus to an unvaccinated person who can then demonstrate a chickenpox infection.
May 15, 2015 - Varicella in Europe—A review of the epidemiology and experience with vaccination "There is no consensus as regards the European varicella immunization policy; some countries have introduced varicella vaccination in their routine childhood immunization programs whereas others have 'decided against or are debating."..."Experience with vaccination in Europe has not been long enough, though, to draw conclusions on benefits and drawbacks with vaccination as well as the capacity for national programs in Europe to maintain a sufficiently high coverage to prevent a change in age group distribution to older children and young adults or on the i'mpact that varicella immunization may have on the epidemiology of shingles."
May 11, 2015 - Immunogenicity and safety of a combined measles, mumps, rubella and varicella live vaccine (ProQuad®) administered concomitantly with a booster dose of a hexavalent vaccine in 12–23-month-old infants "Antibody response rates to measles, mumps, rubella, varicella, hepatitis B and Haemophilus influenzae type b following concomitant administration of ProQuad® and hexavalent vaccine were non-inferior compared with those following the individual vaccines. Antibody response rates to these antigens were all >95% in all groups."..."The safety profiles of each vaccination regimen were comparable, with the exception of solicited ProQuad®-related injection-site reactions (Days 0–4), which occurred more frequently in the concomitant than in the non-concomitant groups."..."Conclusion" These immunogenicity data support the concomitant administration of ProQuad with a hexavalent vaccine. The safety profile of concomitant ProQuad® and hexavalent vaccination was also in line with that of the individual Summaries of Product Characteristics. Comment: Non-inferior definition a clinical trial that shows that a new treatment is equivalent to standard. Shoving everything in one shot to hide severe adverse effects is criminal.
April 23, 2015 - Failure of a Single Varicella Vaccination to Protect Children with Cancer from Life-Threatening Breakthrough Varicella. "We report two children with life-threatening breakthrough varicella. Both had received one varicella vaccination before onset of cancer. Despite treatment with intravenous acyclovir, one child died of disseminated varicella."
March 2015 - A ‘cocoon immunization strategy’ among patients with inflammatory bowel disease "Conclusion: The use of non-mandatory vaccines recommended in family members of patients with inflammatory bowel disease is insufficient. Further vaccine promotion and education of patients as well as their healthcare providers is required. A particular concern is associated with the pneumococcal, influenza, rotaviruses, and varicella infections. Nonimmunized and varicella-zoster virus-seronegative patients should be vaccinated, and in case of immunosuppression, vaccination of children in the household is required."
February 23, 2015 - Epidemiology of Pediatric Herpes Zoster After Varicella Infection: A Population-Based Study (pdf) "In the early post-varicella vaccination period, the incidence of shingles among the children diagnosed with varicella aged greater than '2 years but less than 8 years significantly increased compared with the implementation of the vaccination program. A higher incidence of HZ [singles] in vaccinated children' without medically attended varicella was observed compared with previous reports of the incidence of HZ in vaccinated children in the late postvaccination period. The results of the current study may serve as baseline data for the early effects of varicella vaccinations on pediatric HZ. Longterm studies are required to monitor the impact of a varicella vaccination program on pediatric HZ. Comment: Shouldn't this program simply stop?
December 23, 2014 - Safer attenuated varicella-zoster virus vaccines with missing or diminished latency of infection (patent) "Researchers and pharmaceutical companies have developed chickenpox vaccines but the side effect of shingles due to the live virus establishing a latent infection is still of concern. The ability of a live virus vaccine to enter and maintain a latent infection phase' and therefore 'can compromise the safety of live viral vaccines. Any change to the virus that decreases the probability of establishing or maintaining a latent infection can bring significant public health benefits." Comment: If the vaccine in current use is a safety concern, stop using it.
October 30, 2014 - ProQuad Versus M-M-R II and VARIVAX in Healthy Children (V221-009)(full text) Comment: Note that in this Merck-sponsored clinical trial, the name of substance used as a placebo is not given.
√October 2014 - The Vaccine Against Varicella: Do We Have the Optimal Vaccine? "T'he reactivation of the latent infection caused by the live vaccine seems to be lower than after natural infection. This advantage is however likely to be counterbalanced by the foreseeable demographic changes. The Office of National Statistics in the United Kingdom predicts that of children born in 2012 one-third will live to 100 years of age. With shingles being a disease that becomes both more common and more severe with increasing age, it is clear that future generations are facing a formidable challenge. Repeated vaccinations of the elderly are likely to be necessary even with inactivated and/or subunit vaccines—and in the future, we are talking of the very old for whom vaccine responses are likely to be attenuated—which would not seem to be the optimal immunization strategy if alternatives are available." Comment: This article is jaw-dropping that this article was published. '''''It is a MUST READ. Nearly every sentence proclaims that vaccines do not work, the “protection” quickly wanes and that in the long term, vaccines are fraught with complications. Consider this sentence: “Introduction of varicella vaccination of children is predicted to increase herpes zoster for the first 40 to 60 years when the natural boosting of adults from the virus circulating among children ceases” and this one: “Varicella vaccine is unique, in that it establishes latent infection and it is very unlikely that such a vaccine would be developed today.” And yet we continue to skewer children with the chickenpox vaccine and stab elderly with the shingles vaccines.
Consider this: The rate of hospitalizations due to shingles did not change significantly from 1993 (pre-vaccination years) through the first 5 years of the [chickenpox] vaccination use. However, beginning in 2001, the rate of hospitalizations began to increase, and by 2004 the overall rate was 2.5 cases of shingles per 10,000 US population, significantly higher than any year prior to 2002. Hospital fees increased by more than $700 million annually by 2004; in particular, persons aged 60 years or older accounted for 74% of the total annual hospital charges in 2004. (from Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol. 2008 Dec;29(12):1157-63.) Both of these vaccines should be removed from the market immediately.
September 2014 - Impact of environmental factors on the prevalence of autistic disorder after 1979 (pdf) Further, linear regression revealed that Varicella and Hepatitis A immunization coverage was significantly correlated to autistic disorder cases. R software was used to calculate change points. Autistic disorder change points years are coincident with the introduction of vaccines manufactured using human fetal cell lines, containing fetal and 'retroviral contaminants', into childhood vaccine regimens. This pattern was repeated in the US, UK, Western Australia and Denmark. Thus, rising autistic disorder prevalence is directly related to vaccines manufactured utilizing human fetal cells. Increased paternal age and DSM revisions were not related to rising autistic disorder prevalence.
September 3, 2014 - Optic neuritis following Varicella zoster vaccination: Report of two cases "Two women presented at our clinic with vision blurring following Varicella zoster virus (VZV) vaccination, 3 weeks and 1 week ago."..."This is the first report of optic neuritis occurring in relation to VZV vaccination."
July 21, 2014 - Vaccine-Associated Varicella and Rubella Infections In Severe Combined Immunodeficiency with Isolated CD4 Lymphocytopenia and Mutations in IL7R Detected by Tandem Whole Exome Sequencing and Chromosomal Microarray "This case emphasizes the danger of live viral vaccination in SCID patients and the importance of newborn screening to identify patients prior to high-risk exposures. It also illustrates the value of aggressive pathogen identification and treatment, the influence newborn screening can have on morbidity and mortality, and the significant impact of newer genomic diagnostic tools in identifying the underlying genetic etiology for SCID patients."
July 1, 2014 - Vaccines: Can Transparency Increase Confidence and Reduce Hesitancy? (pdf) "The authors did report adverse events associated with vaccines, including high-quality evidence that the MMR vaccine is associated with febrile seizures and the varicella vaccine is associated with complications in immune-deficient people. There was moderate-quality evidence for purpura associated with the hepatitis A and MMR vaccines, febrile seizures with the pneumococcal conjugate 13 vaccine, and intussusception wit rotavirus vaccines.
June 9, 2014 - Risk of febrile seizures after first dose of measles–mumps–rubella–varicella vaccine: a population-based cohort study (pdf) "The risk of seizures 7 to 10 days after vaccination was twice as high with MMRV as with MMR+V (relative risk [RR] 1.99, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.30–3.05). The excess absolute risk of seizures was 3.52 seizures per 10 000 doses of MMRV relative to MMR+V. In high-risk children, the risk was not differentially higher for MMRV (RR 1.30, 95% CI 0.60–2.79)."..."“Policy-makers need to balance these findings with the potential benefits of administering the combination vaccine or determine 'whether the 'choice of vaccine rests with clinicians and/or parents.”
April 2014 - Vaccine strain varicella-zoster virus–induced central nervous system vasculopathy as the presenting feature of DOCK8 deficiency (full text) "History included early-onset atopic dermatitis, food allergies often with anaphylaxis, biopsy-confirmed eosinophilic esophagitis, asthma, and recurrent upper respiratory tract infections."..."' Evidence of both focal and diffuse CNS disease was corroborated by widespread infarction produced by stenosis of multiple large cerebral arteries. The CSF examination revealed a pleocytosis as found in two-thirds of the patients with VZV vasculopathy, and both VZV DNA and anti-VZV IgG antibody with reduced serum/CSF ratios of anti-VZV IgG antibody was detected, indicative of intrathecal synthesis of anti-VZV IgG. Analysis of VZV DNA in the 'CSF revealed that the VZV genotype was vaccine strain', demonstrating, for the first time, that VZV reactivation after vaccination in childhood can result in VZV vasculopathy." Comment VZV is Varicella Zoster Virus. The vaccine virus strain was found in cerebral spinal fluid.
March 2014 - Vaccine Eligibility in Hospitalized Children: Spotlight on a Unique Healthcare Opportunity "One hundred sixty pediatric patients ages 2 months to 17 years (mean age 8 years) were enrolled. Seventy-six percent of patients had documentation of vaccine history, and 92% were documented as receiving all age-appropriate vaccines. Actual immunization records showed that 16% percent of patients were in compliance with the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices guidelines. The most commonly missed vaccine was 'influenza (67%) followed by meningococcal (57%)', hepatitis A (48%), and varicella (38%). Ninety percent of parents were satisfied with the vaccination services their child had received."
March 2014 - Influence of Frequent Infectious Exposures on General and Varicella-Zoster Virus-Specific Immune Responses in Pediatricians "Despite the high infectious burden, we detected a robust and diverse immune system in pediatricians. Repetitive exposures to wild VZV have been shown to induce a stable increased level of VZV-specific cellular but not humoral immunity. Based on our observations, VZV IE63 can be considered a candidate for a zoster vaccine. Comment: If reexposure to chickenpox in a community maintains natural herd immunity to varicella there is no need for the vaccine.
February 26, 2014 - Validity of a reported history of chickenpox in targeting varicella vaccination at susceptible adolescents in England (full text) "Our study, however, did not aim to provide population prevalence estimates for the different chickenpox history responses because it was not possible to assess how accurately respondents reflect the population. For example, parents of adolescents with negative or uncertain histories may have been more likely to participate given the provision of free vaccine to those without VZV-IgG antibodies. The proportion with different histories may also have been affected by changing the question about chickenpox history at the end of the study to boost the number of negative and uncertain responses, and the small token of appreciation offered. Finally, it is difficult to foresee how parents’ answers might be influenced by the prospect of their child actually receiving a vaccine in the context of a national adolescent vaccination programme." Comment: Garbage in, garbage out. And they call this 'science?'
February 7, 2014 - Association of the use of MMRV in infants by pediatric infectious disease specialists with that of other affiliated providers "These data suggest that while most providers followed the ACIP recommendation to administer MMR and V separately, Pediatric Infectious Disease specialists’ vaccination practices may impact compliance with ACIP recommendations by other providers. Further study of the drivers behind the use of MMRV rather than MMR + V as the first dose of measles-containing vaccine is needed to determine if reinforcement or if clarification of ACIP recommendations is needed to elucidate when MMRV might be preferred over MMR + V."
February 3, 2014 - Varicella vaccination: a labored take-off "Uncertainties on the potential impact of varicella vaccination on the epidemiology of varicella and herpes zoster still exist. These uncertainties are the main reason behind the diverse vaccine recommendations. Surveillance systems and mathematical models could be useful to address these uncertainties. However, the lack of surveillance of varicella and HZ in some countries, as well as the high variability of surveillance systems in the countries that have one, makes it difficult to assess the effect of the vaccine. On the other side, mathematical models are based on assumptions and should be interpreted carefully."
January 9, 2014 - Decline of varicella vaccination in German surveillance regions after the recommendation of separate first-dose vaccination for varicella and measles–mumps–rubella "Germany introduced routine varicella (V) vaccination in 2004. Due to a slightly increased risk of febrile convulsions after first-dose application of combined measles–mumps–rubella–varicella (MMRV) vaccine separate first-dose vaccinations with MMR and monovalent V vaccine were recommended in September 2011."..."Acceptance of Varicella vaccination depends in part on the use of combination vaccine."
December 25, 2013 - Risk of febrile convulsions after MMRV vaccination in comparison to MMR or MMR+V vaccination "This study in children younger than 5 years, 90% of them between 11 and 23 months, shows a risk of febrile seizures similar in magnitude for Priorix-Tetra as has previously been reported for ProQuad suggesting a class effect for these quadrivalent vaccines."
December 2013 - Examination of Links Between Herpes Zoster Incidence and Childhood Varicella Vaccination "Results: 281,317 incident cases of HZ occurred. Age- and sex-standardized HZ (shingles) incidence increased 39%, from 10.0 per 1000 person-years in 1992 to 13.9 per 1000 person-years in 2010 with no evidence' of a statistically significant change in the rate of increase after the introduction of the varicella vaccination program.....Uncer
August 27, 2013 - Fatal varicella due to the vaccine-strain varicella-zoster virus. "We describe a death in a 15-mo old girl who developed a varicella-like rash 20 d after varicella vaccination that lasted for 2 mo despite acyclovir treatment. The rash was confirmed to be due to vaccine-strain varicella-zoster virus. This is the first case of fatal varicella due to vaccine-strain VZV reported from the United States." Comment: Vaccines are not harmless and can cause death.
√July 2013 -Primary Versus Secondary Failure After Varicella Vaccination: Implications for Interval Between 2 Doses (full text) "Nineteen publications detailed 21 varicella outbreaks with breakthrough varicella rates ranging from 0% to 42%; the publications showed no consistent trend between breakthrough varicella rate and time since vaccination....Breakthrough varicella is defined as the appearance of a pruritic maculopapulovesicular rash with onset >42 days after vaccination without any other apparent cause... In response to cases of breakthrough varicella, several countries have implemented recommendations for a 2-dose varicella vaccination schedule. Indeed, the second dose of varicella vaccine has been shown to increase effectiveness from 86% to 98%. However, the optimal timing for the second dose is currently unknown. 'Of interest, there is data suggesting that some children without detectable antibodies are still protected against infection by cell-mediated immunity'. This would imply that antibodies do not play a direct role in immunity to chickenpox. Indeed, it is unclear whether varicella antibodies play a direct role in vaccine-specific protection or whether they are just a surrogate marker for vaccine-specific T-cell responses that accompany seroconversion. However, if 1-dose vaccine effectiveness is approximately 80% and seroconversion is a proxy marker for protection, most cases of breakthrough varicella can be accounted for by primary vaccine failure." Comment: That is an important observation - an antibody is a PROXY MARKER for protection and a SURROGATE MARKER of "effectiveness."
May 2013 - Factors Associated With Receipt of Two Doses of Varicella Vaccine Among Adolescents in the United States (full text) "All authors provided final approval of the version to be published. M.A.O. and B.J.K. are' employees of 'Merck Sharp & Dohme, a subsidiary of Merck, and own stock in the Company.
"As of 2010, only 17 of the 50 states and the District of Columbia required two doses of varicella vaccine for entry into middle school. Although the cross-sectional nature of this study precludes us from knowing whether adolescents may have been vaccinated before state policy implementation, the findings are consistent with previous studies showing the importance of school requirements for receipt of the first dose of varicella vaccine and other vaccines in improving coverage rates. It is also important to note that middle school vaccination requirements typically apply to adolescents 11 to 14 years of age.
May 2013 - Progress in VZV vaccination? Some concerns "An efficacious-inactivated VZV vaccine to protect immunocompromised patients is still missing. VZV vaccines and vaccination strategies have to be optimized to avoid that the quality of life and cost savings from varicella reduction in childhood are offset by more VZV diseases in adults.
February 13, 2013 - Varicella Zoster Virus-Specific Immune Responses to a Herpes Zoster Vaccine in Elderly Recipients With Major Depression and the Impact of Antidepressant Medications "Depressed patients have diminished VZV-CMI responses to zoster vaccine, and treatment with antidepressant medication is associated with normalization of these responses. Because higher levels of VZV-CMI correlate with lower risk and severity of HZ, untreated depression may increase the risk and severity of HZ and reduce the efficacy of zoster vaccine." Comment: What this is saying that those on anti-depressants will lower the severity of a shingles outbreak. Be sure to take your Paxil or Effexor so that your vaccine will work!"
February 11, 2013 - Primary Versus Secondary Failure Following Varicella Vaccination: Implications for Interval between Two Doses "Optimal timing of the second dose may depend on whether breakthrough varicella results from primary vaccine failure (no protective immunity after vaccination) or secondary vaccine failure (waning protective immunity)."..."Literature to-date indicates a relatively high rate of primary vaccine failure and limited evidence of secondary vaccine failure amongst one-dose varicella vaccine recipients, suggesting that a short interval between two doses might be preferable in countries considering the implementation of universal varicella vaccination to reduce breakthrough varicella. However, any potential disruption to well-established vaccination schedules should be considered."
November 27, 2012 - Factors Associated with Receipt of Two Doses of Varicella Vaccine among Adolescents in the United States "Two-dose varicella vaccination coverage remained low among adolescents in 2010, despite the universal recommendation. Programs that are aimed specifically at VFC-eligible adolescents, state policies requiring 2 doses for middle school entry, and broad education and implementation of the adolescent vaccination platform may help to improve varicella vaccination coverage."
November 6, 2012 - Challenges in confirming a varicella outbreak in the two-dose vaccine era "In School District X, 82 varicella cases were reported, including 60 from Schools A and B. All cases were mild, with a median of 14 lesions. All 10 clinical specimens and 58 environmental samples tested negative for VZV. Two-dose varicella vaccination coverage was 66.4% in Schools A and B. Varicella VE in affected classrooms was 80.9% among 1-dose vaccinees and 94.7% among 2-dose vaccinees in School A, with a second dose incremental VE of 72.1%. Varicella VE among School B students did not differ significantly by dose (80.1% vs. 84.2% among 1-dose and 2-dose vaccinees, respectively)."
November 2012 - Serologic Analysis of the IgG Antibody Response in Children With Varicella Zoster Virus Wild-type Infection and Vaccination "In contrast to varicella-zoster virus (VZV) primary infection, chickenpox vaccination does not seem to provide lifelong immunity against varicella. Because more people get vaccinated every year, the development of sensitive serological test systems for the detection of protective anti-VZV IgG will become important in the future."
September 13, 2012 - Fatal Wild-type Varicella-Zoster Virus Encephalitis without a Rash in a Vaccinated Child (full text) "Encephalitis associated with a varicella-zoster virus (VZV), rare among children in the varicella vaccine era, has generally been associated with a rash. We report fatal wild-type chickenpox encephalitis without a rash in a child who had received 1 dose of varicella vaccine. VZV encephalitis should be considered in the differential diagnosis for children presenting with acute neurologic symptoms, even vaccine recipients."
√May 31, 2012 - Review of the United States universal varicella vaccination program: Herpes zoster incidence rates, cost-effectiveness, and vaccine efficacy based primarily on the Antelope Valley Varicella Active Surveillance Project data "In the prelicensure era, 95% of adults experienced natural chickenpox (usually as children)—these cases were usually benign and resulted in long-term immunity. Varicella vaccination is less effective than the natural immunity that existed in prevaccine communities. Universal varicella vaccination has not proven to be cost-effective as increased shingles morbidity has disproportionately offset cost savings associated with reductions in varicella disease. Universal varicella vaccination has failed to provide long-term protection from chickenpox disease."
May 8, 2012 - Neonatal Vaccine-Strain Varicella Zoster Virus Infection 22 Days after Maternal Post-Partum Vaccination "Infection with vaccine-strain varicella zoster virus was confirmed by genetic analysis. The mother had no post-vaccination rash nor did other contacts have rash or recent vaccination. Potential means of transmission to the infant are explored." '''Comment: This article shows the virus CAN cross the placenta and infect the fetus. Why are they vaccinating pregnant women with the chickenpox vaccine, a live-virus vaccine?
May 1, 2012 - Safety of zoster vaccine in adults from a large managed-care cohort: a Vaccine Safety Datalink study "The risk of allergic reaction was significantly increased within 1-7 days of vaccination by case-centred method and relative rate." Comment: The zoster vaccine is the Shingle vaccine. The allergic reaction was most likely due to the large amount of gelatin in the shot. Each shingles vaccine contains 15,580mcg/dose, or 15.58 mg'.
√May 1, 2012 -Varicella Zoster Virus Transmission in the Vaccine Era: Unmasking the Role of Herpes Zoster (full text) "Paradoxically, although the number of varicella cases has decreased since the introduction of the varicella vaccine, the incidence of HZ has been increasing'''. One hypothesis to explain this phenomenon is that reexposure to VZV among individuals with latent wild-type infection causes humoral boosting and improved virologic control. As the number of children with varicella declines, waning immunity among previously infected adults may allow viral reactivation clinically manifested as shingles. Additionally, shingles may occur in immunocompetent children after immunization." Comment: By eliminating chickenpox from circulation, we are now creating vaccines to treat problems associated with vaccines. It is anticipated that in the US alone, we will see an increase of 50M cases of shingles over the next 10-15 years. Each year, that adds $700M in health care expenditures'.
April 30, 2012 - Recurrent 6th nerve palsy in a child following different live attenuated vaccines: case report (pdf) "There is limited information in the literature regarding the safety of a repeat dose of a live vaccine in this setting. As detailed above, a recurrent case of a nerve palsy has been described post MMR. [5,7] A second and further dose is recommended to increase the likelihood of seroconversion, but ultimately further immunizations should be considered on an individual basis.
February 7, 2012 - FDA Vaccines, Blood & Biologics ProQuad
January 27, 2012 - Chickenpox in childhood is associated with decreased atopic disorders, IgE, allergic sensitization, and leukocyte subsets "Conclusion: WTVZV up to 8 yr of age protects against atopic disorders, which is likely mediated by suppression of IgE production and allergic sensitization, as well as altered leukocyte distributions."
August 28, 2011 - Prevention of Varicella: Update of Recommendations for Use of Quadrivalent and Monovalent Varicella Vaccines in Children "A personal or family (such as a sibling 'or parent) history of seizures is now a precaution for MMRV vaccination. Children with a personal or family history of seizures generally should be vaccinated with MMR and varicella vaccines, because the risks of using the MMRV in this group of children generally outweigh the benefits."
August 2011- IOM Adverse Effects of Vaccines Evidence and Causality "Evidence Convincingly Supports a Causal Relationship: The MMR vaccine is linked to a disease called measles inclusion body encephalitis, which in very rare cases can affect people whose immune systems are compromised and usually occurs within a year of acute measles infection or vaccination. The MMR vaccine also is linked to febrile seizures, which are a type of seizure that occurs in infants and young children in association with fever. Febrile seizures are generally benign and hold no long-term consequences. Six types of vaccines—MMR, varicella zoster, influenza, hepatitis B, meningococcal, and tetanus-containing vaccines—are linked to anaphylaxis. The committee also found convincing evidence of a causal relationship between injection of the vaccine, independent of the antigen involved, and two types of adverse events, including syncope, or fainting, and deltoid bursitis, or frozen shoulder, characterized by shoulder pain and loss of motion."
July 1, 2010 - Measles-Mumps-Rubella-Varicella Combination Vaccine and the Risk of Febrile Seizures (full text) "Temporal scan statistics revealed that seizures clustered most significantly during days 8 to 10 for MMRV vaccination (RR: 7.6; P < .0001]), 7 to 10 days after MMR + varicella vaccination (RR: 4.0; P < .0001), and 7 to 11 days after MMR vaccination alone (RR: 3.7; P < .0001). No seizure peak was observable after varicella vaccination alone, nor was there any significant temporal clustering. During days 7 to 10, unadjusted rates for seizures were 84.6 seizures per 1000 person-years after MMRV vaccination, 42.2 seizures per 1000 person-years after MMR + varicella vaccination, and 26.4 seizures per 1000 person-years after MMR vaccination alone. Unadjusted rates during days 7 to 10 were nearly 8 times higher for MMRV and 4 and 3.5 times higher for MMR + varicella and MMR vaccination alone, respectively. At the largest VSD site (113 MMRV lots used), increased seizure risk was not limited to particular lots."
May 7, 2010 - Use of Combination Measles, Mumps, Rubella, and Varicella Vaccine Recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) "Use of MMRV vaccine has the benefit of requiring one less injection than the alternative of MMR vaccine and varicella vaccine. The risk for a febrile seizure after the first dose of MMRV vaccine, although low, is higher than after MMR vaccine and varicella vaccine administered as separate injections, and use of MMR vaccine and varicella vaccine avoids this increased risk. Children who have febrile seizures generally have an excellent prognosis. However, first febrile seizures often require a medical visit to an emergency department and are distressing for parents and caregivers. Therefore, parents might prefer to avoid the small increased risk for fever and febrile seizures after the first dose of MMRV vaccine compared with the first dose of MMR vaccine and varicella vaccine administered as separate injections. Given the balance of risks and benefits of a first dose of MMRV vaccine compared with a first dose of MMR vaccine and varicella vaccine, and the importance of individual values and preferences in weighing these risks and benefits, decisions should be made by providers and parents or caregivers on a case-by-case basis."
May 2010 - Recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) "Among vaccine recipients, the attenuated Oka/Merck strain of VZV included in varicella vaccine also can establish a latent infection and clinically reactivate as zoster (97). Zoster caused by Oka/Merck strain VZV cannot be distinguished on clinical grounds from zoster caused by wild-type VZV. The risk for zoster caused specifically by Oka/Merck strain VZV is unknown because recipients of varicella vaccine might have already been infected with wild-type VZV or might have become infected with wild-type VZV following vaccination (i.e., due to vaccine failure) that could also reactivate."
April 1, 2008 - Primary Vaccine Failure after 1 Dose of Varicella Vaccine in Healthy Children (full text) "Primary vaccine failure in just 10% of vaccinees after a single dose could result in progressive accumulation of susceptible individuals over time and lead to an increased incidence of varicella in young adults. Such an increment is potentially dangerous. Approximately 4 million infants are vaccinated annually in the United States. A primary vaccine failure rate of 10% would thus lead to 400,000 vaccinated but susceptible infants every year. Within 5 years, there would be 2 million vaccinated but susceptible individuals. The present findings therefore strongly support the use of the second dose of vaccine for all children without a history of the disease."
June 22, 2007 - Prevention of Varicella Recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) (full text)
√November 1, 2006 - Brief Summary of Chickenpox: A New Epidemic of Disease and Corruption (pdf) "Prior to the universal varicella vaccination program, 95% of adults experienced natural chickenpox (usually as school-aged children)—these cases were usually benign and resulted in long term immunity.
This high percentage of individuals having long term immunity has been compromised by mass vaccination of children which provides at best 70 to 90% immunity that is temporary and of unknown duration—shifting chickenpox to a more vulnerable adult population where chickenpox carries 20 times more risk of death and 15 times more risk of hospitalization compared to children. Add to this the adverse effects of both the chickenpox and shingles vaccines as well as the potential for increased risk of shingles for an estimated 30 to 50 years among adults. The Universal Varicella (Chickenpox) Vaccination Program now requires booster vaccines; however, these are less effective than the natural immunity that existed in communities prior to licensure of the varicella vaccine. Routine vaccination against chickenpox has produced continual cycles of treatment and disease." Comment: The chickenpox program has been a failure at every step, yet it has continued. We pay and pay and pay for vaccines and thei'''r '''subsequent '''''side effects.
June, 2005 - Chickenpox Outbreak in a Highly Vaccinated School Population (full text) "Questionnaires were returned for 558 (93%) of 597 students in school A and 924 (97%) of 952 students in school B. A total of 83 schoolchildren (57 unvaccinated and 26 vaccinated) had varicella during the October 2002 through February 2003 outbreak period. An additional 17 cases occurred among household contacts, including infants and adults. Polymerase chain reaction analysis recovered wild-type varicella. Vaccine effectiveness was 87%. With 1 notable exception, vaccinated children tended to have milder 'illness. Risk factors for breakthrough varicella included eczema, vaccination ≥5 years before the outbreak, and vaccination at ≤18 months of age. Comment: Vaccinated children still contracted chickenpox.
August 1, 2004 - Varicella Zoster Virus Meningitis in a Previously Immunized Child (full text) "Naruse et al reported a case of VZV meningitis in a previously immunized 45-month-old child. The child had been immunized 21 months before developing meningitis, and there was evidence of seroconversion by immune adherence agglutination 4 weeks after immunization."..."Bacterial cultures were negative, and he received 3 days of acyclovir. The child made an uneventful recovery without complications. The CSF was positive for VZV by PCR. This was the first reported case of aseptic meningitis caused by VZV in a previous immunized patient with evidence of seroconversion. The illness was presumed to be secondary to a wild strain of VZV because of the recent exposure, and the lesions on the skin were not limited to a specific dermatome that would be expected if this were a reactivation of VZV, typical of herpes zoster."
August 2004 - Genetic Profile of an Oka Varicella Vaccine Virus Variant Isolated from an Infant with Zoster (pdf)
October 2004 - the Declining incidence of chickenpox in the ABSENCE of universal childhood immunization. (pdf) "Our findings highlight the value of actively monitoring varicella incidence. We suggest that adding varicella vaccination to the UK childhood immunization programme at this stage would be premature."
February 18, 2004 - Effectiveness over time of varicella vaccine. (full text) "However, there is a substantial, statistically significant decrease in the vaccine's overall effectiveness in the second year after vaccination, after which the decrease in the vaccine's effectiveness is not statistically significant, at least through years 7 to 8 after vaccination. We do not know the explanation for this phenomenon, although it is consistent with observations in other studies that the risk of breakthrough infection increases over time. Presumably, this is a result of waning immunity in a proportion of immunized children in addition to occasional primary vaccine failure."
October 1, 2003 - Disseminated Varicella Infection Due to the Vaccine Strain of Varicella-Zoster Virus, in a Patient with a Novel Deficiency in Natural Killer T Cells (full text) An 11-year-old girl presented with a papulovesicular rash and severe respiratory distress 5 weeks after receiving varicella vaccine. Endotracheal-tube aspirate and from bronchoalveolar lavage revealed that this patient’s illness was due to the Oka vaccine strain of varicella.... Analysis of her lymphocytes on separate occasions, months after recovery from her illness, revealed a profound deficiency of natural killer T (NKT) cells and of NKT-cell activity, suggesting that NKT cells contribute to host defense against varicella virus. Comment: Note that the analysis of her natural killer cells was done 'months after recovery.' Could it be that her illness and profound chickenpox pneumonia caused by the vaccine destroyed her NK cells, and it was not an NK' cell deficiency that allowed her to become ill? In other words, it was her defective immune system, not the vaccine, that lead to disseminated varicella infection.
August 1, 2003 - A Retrospective Cohort Study of the Association of Varicella Vaccine Failure With Asthma, Steroid Use, Age at Vaccination, and Measles-Mumps-Rubella Vaccination (full text) We identified 268 and 97 breakthrough cases among 80,584 and 8181 children vaccinated against varicella at HMOs A and B, respectively. An increased risk of varicella breakthrough was found in the 3 months immediately after prescription for oral steroids at HMO A and HMO B when varicella vaccine was given before 15 months of age at HMO A and when varicella vaccination followed MMR vaccine within 28 days at HMO A. Conclusions. Varicella vaccine failure in children was not associated with asthma or the use of inhaled steroids, but with the use of oral steroids. Administration of varicella vaccine before the age of 15 months may be associated with a slightly increased risk of breakthrough disease. As currently recommended, varicella vaccination should not be administered for 28 days after MMR vaccination. Comment: This was published in 2003; now, MMR + V are given together.
March 2003 - Herpes zoster virus sclerokeratitis and anterior uveitis in a child following varicella vaccination. A 9-year-old boy presented with herpes zoster ophthalmicus 3 years following vaccination with live attenuated varicella vaccine. Examination of the affected eye revealed a moderate follicular response on the palpebral conjunctiva, decreased corneal sensation, mildly elevated intraocular pressure, diffuse anterior scleritis with marginal keratitis, and a moderately severe anterior uveitis. Amplified DNA from fluid taken from a cutaneous vesicle produced wild-type varicella zoster virus (VZV) DNA, not Oka strain. Comment: The child was vaccinated and failed to protect from wild-type chickenpox, which lead' to the development of one of the most serious side effects of the vaccine: herpes opthalmicus.
December 12, 2002 - Outbreak of Varicella at a Day-Care Center despite Vaccination (full text) "We investigated an outbreak of varicella in a population of children with a high proportion of vaccinees who were attending a day-care center in a small community in New Hampshire. Varicella developed in 25 of 88 children (28.4 percent) between December 1, 2000, and January 11, 2001. The index case occurred in a healthy child who had been vaccinated three years previously and who infected more than 50 percent of his classmates who had no history of varicella. In this outbreak, vaccination provided poor protection against varicella." Comment: The outbreak was caused by a vaccinated child.
August 2002 - Herpes zoster by reactivated vaccine varicella zoster virus in a healthy child "We report a healthy 2-year-old girl who developed an impressive herpes zoster infection 16 months after vaccination, localized in three cervical dermatomes. As the causative virus, VZV vaccine strain was identified by polymerase chain reaction. Conclusion: vaccine varicella zoster virus can occasionally reactivate in healthy children and present as herpes zoster. Virus characterization is necessary to identify the strain and provide information on the incidence of occurrence." Comment: Shingles in infants was extremely rare prior to the varicella vaccination. It is extremely painful; I can only imagine the horrific pain experienced by this 2-year old child.
August 2000 - Chickenpox attributable to a vaccine virus contracted from a vaccinee with zoster. Five months after 2 siblings were immunized with varicella vaccine, 1 developed zoster (shingles). Two weeks later, the second sibling got a mild case of chicken pox. Virus isolated from the latter was found to be vaccine type. Thus, the vaccine strain was transmitted from the vaccinee with zoster to his sibling. Vaccinees who later develop zoster must be considered contagious. Comment: Shedding of live-virus chickenpox can occur from the vaccinated person or from a person who has an outbreak of shingle caused by the chickenpox OR the shingles vaccine.
October 1999 - Transmission of varicella to a gravida via close contacts immunized with varicella-zoster vaccine. A case report. "A 32-year-old woman at 39 weeks of gestation presented with generalized pruritic vesicles and pustules. Diagnosis of primary varicella infection was made and confirmed by serologic studies. The patient denied recent or past exposure. The only significant history that the patient could recall was her exposure to her two children, who were vaccinated with the varicella-zoster vaccine eight days prior to her admission but were asymptomatic."
January 1999 - Urticaria following varicella vaccine associated with gelatin allergy. An uncommon reaction to varicella vaccine has been urticaria. Based on two reports of urticaria believed to be due to gelatin in recipients of measles-mumps-rubella vaccine, we suspected gelatin as the cause of generalized urticaria in two children after varicella vaccination. Intradermal testing with gelatin yielded a wheal and flare reaction in both children. We conclude that children known to be allergic to gelatin should not receive Oka/Merck varicella vaccine (VARIVAX). Comment: MMR and Varivax have the highest concentration of gelatin of all vaccines. Gelatin has been confirmed to be the causative agent in many allergic reactions and allergies from vaccines.
July 1997 - Transmission of the varicella-vaccine virus from a healthy 12-month-old child to his pregnant mother. A 12-month-old healthy boy had approximately 30 vesicular skin lesions 24 days after receiving varicella vaccine. Sixteen days later his pregnant mother had 100 lesions. The varicella-vaccine virus was identified by polymerase chain reaction in the vesicular lesions of the mother. After an elective abortion, no virus was detected in the fetal tissue. This case documents the transmission of the varicella-vaccine virus from a healthy 12-month-old infant to his pregnant mother. Comment: Shedding leading to infection was known early '''''with this vaccine. Note that the mother with active chickenpox did NOT expose her fetus to the virus. The risk of varicella to a fetus is mostly theoretical.
September 1996 - Pathogenesis of infection with varicella vaccine. "Although the pathogenesis of varicella vaccine virus infection appears to mimic that of wt VZV infection, a vaccine virus-related exanthem is more common in immunized children with an underlying immunosuppressive condition, such as leukemia, than in normal children. Those immunized children who never develop a rash presumably have an abrogated infection in which the host immune response has eliminated the virus prior to a major viremic spread. There may be a correlation between the presence of an exanthem and the ability of an immunized child to spread the varicella vaccine virus."
October 1995 - Herpes zoster in a normal child after varicella vaccination. "A healthy 5 year old girl developed herpes zoster ophthalmicus of the fifth cranial nerve 40 months after varicella vaccination. She was admitted to our hospital because of high fever and painful vesicular lesions over the left side of her forehead. She was treated successfully with systemic and topical acyclovir without developing herpetic keratoconjunctivitis. Our acute and convalescent-phase evaluations showed that non-specific cellular and humoral immunity was normal. This is the fourth case of herpes zoster developing in an immunocompetent child following vaccination. Unlike the previously reported cases, our patient required hospitalization mainly to prevent ocular involvement. The issue concerning whether the universal introduction of varicella vaccination of normal children will reduce the incidence of the subsequent occurrence of herpes zoster must await further studies involving longer follow-up periods. Comment: She developed this horrific condition almost 4 years after being vaccinated to prevent chickenpox. Safety studies of 14 days are irrelevant''''' for determining long term safety.