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Expert Q&A

	By Jenny Lewis, M.D. Pediatrician

Should young children get the chicken pox vaccine?

The current recommendation of the American Academy of Pediatrics is that all children be immunized with the chicken pox vaccine by the age of two. (Many States require it for the child to enter school.) To date there have been no significant complications reported from the vaccination. Three studies have shown it is 100 percent effective in preventing moderate or severe disease and about 86 percent effective in preventing all chicken pox. There is some debate about whether it will be necessary to give a second shot to ensure life long immunity and when that should be given.

Before immunization became widespread, most children used to get chicken pox between the ages of two and five. It is usually a relatively benign disease, conferring lifelong immunity. The child is contagious until all the lesions scab over, a process which generally takes from five to ten days. Most kids are uncomfortable with mild to moderate fever and some itching for a few days. After that they may enjoy the time off from school, or resent not being able to see their friends. They may feel guilty if a parent is put in a bind by having to stay home from work for a week. If a child receives the chicken pox vaccine within 72 hours of exposure to chicken pox it may prevent or significantly modify the disease.

A very small percentage of kids develop serious complications of chicken pox such as encephalitis, hepatitis or serious skin infections. Complications become more serious the older the child and chicken pox can be life threatening in the older adolescent and the adult. Therefore, if you elect not to have your child immunized as a baby, and he or she doesn't get chicken pox by the time s/he enters school, we would strongly suggest getting the shot at that time.

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