OBJECTIVE To estimate the effectiveness of the varicella vaccine in school outbreaks during the academic year 2009-2010. MATERIAL AND METHOD Retrospective cohort study in public day-care centers and/or schools in an area in the region of Murcia. Spain. The participants were all children of 1 to 12 years who were in the same classroom where there was an outbreak of varicella. The main measurem...

INTRODUCTION Chickenpox (varicella) in adults can be severe with increased mortality. This study investigated the clinical presentation and outcome of 12 adult chickenpox patients requiring intensive care. MATERIALS AND METHODS A retrospective, observational study was performed in an adult medical intensive care unit of a university-affiliated hospital involving consecutive patients with vari...

In 2006, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommended that children routinely receive 2 varicella vaccine doses in place of the 1 dose previously recommended. This recommendation's initial impact on varicella epidemiology in Connecticut was assessed. Reported incidence and case-specific data were compared for 2005 and 2008. Varicella incidence decreased from 48.7 cases/100,000 p...

BACKGROUND Varicella vaccine is available in the private sector in China, with a single dose currently recommended for children aged ≥12 months. We investigated a varicella outbreak in a school in Beijing with high varicella vaccination coverage to describe the outbreak, examine risk factors for vaccine failure, and calculate vaccine effectiveness. METHODS A varicella case was defined as an a...