A multivariate time-series regression model was developed in order to describe the 2005-2008 age-specific time-course of varicella sentinel surveillance data following the introduction of a varicella childhood vaccination programme in Germany. This ecological approach allows the assessment of vaccine effectiveness under field conditions by relating vaccine coverage in cohorts of 24-month-old ch...

London, W. P. (Mathematical Research Branch, National Institute of Arthritis, Metabolism, and Digestive Diseases, Bethesda, Md. 20014) and J. A. Yorke. Recurrent outbreaks of measles, chickenpox and mumps. I. Seasonal variation in contact rates. Am J Epidemiol 98:453-468, 1973. —Recurrent outbreaks of measles, chickenpox and mumps in cities are studied with a mathematical model of ordinary diff...

Correspondence Acute urinary retention as a complication of primary varicella-zoster infection of childhood – a second reported case To the Editor: We discuss the case of a child with acute urinary retention and constipation following primary varicella-zoster infection (chickenpox). To our knowledge, this unusual complication has only been reported once before. 1 An 8-year-old boy presented 2 d...

Ischaemic stroke is a recognized complication of chickenpox. Seven cases of ischaemic stroke in children after recent varicella infection are discussed in detail to emphasise that there are several mechanisms by which this may arise.

A case is described of chickenpox in a young non-immunosuppressed adult, resulting in adult respiratory distress syndrome and hepatitis, which was successfully managed with artificial ventilation and vidarabine.

In tropical regions, chickenpox affects both adults and children. Therefore, healthcare workers in the tropics are vulnerable to hospital-acquired varicella infection and they may transmit infection to susceptible hospitalized individuals. Although the varicella vaccine is safe and effective, its cost is a deterrent to its use in routine immunization programmes. In order to assess whether vacci...