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Others have written:
>Having had 2 children with Toxic Shock Syndrome due to varicella, a
Reye's,
and a Varicella pneumonia in an 11yr otherwise well little girl I'm
really
pushing the Varicella vaccine. More kids die every year from Varicella
than
get VAPP yet we've been pushed to go to IPV.
>This also raises another long term concern: One of the reasons natural
varicella immunity is life-long is thought to be periodic re-exposre to
natural varicella with a subsequent immune-boosting response. If there's
not a whole lot of wild varicella floating around in the future, even
people who had natural varicella as a child could find themselves
susceptible as adults because they haven't had periodic immune boosts.
I've
not seen this potential concern discussed much. Any thoughts?
>>> Is there anyone out there who is still unconvinced, like me, that
>> universal varicella vaccination for pre-teens is justified? Thanks.
I am convinvced that we should be immunizing for precisely that
reason...that ~50 kids a year die from varicella complications. It is an
excellent comparison to OPV paranoia. As for the lack of exposure to
natural varicella I am sure that it is the primary infection that
provides most of the immunity for those with the natural disease...will
those vaccinated not have that benefit with decreasing disease prevalence ?
Is it a
problem??...seems we could use a good article or post to this list from the
Japanese. One interesting way to look at varicella that I learned from
an AAP update tape is that those teens that have not been immunized are
going to be increasingly susceptible as teens BECAUSE THEY HAVE NOT BEEN
EXPOSED TO WILD VIRUS AS THE CASES DECREASE WITH INCREASING VACCINATION
RATES. In other words they are less likely to contract wild virus disease
at younger age when it is milder. Another good argument for you
slow-to-jump on the bandwagon types....(and for the reluctant parents)
F. Wayne van Saun, M.D.
Schoolhouse Road Pediatric Associates:
http://www.concentric.net/~kidsmd/schoolhserdpeds.html
Old Wives' Tales and Other Pediatric Myths:
http://members.aol.com/tireswing/index.html
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