The Chicken Pox Vaccine

Contents 1 Description of Remedy 2 How it works 3 Benefits 4 Risks or Contraindications 5 Where to get this remedy? 6 Where to get this? 7 Who should get vaccinated? 8 Who should not get vaccinated? 9 References

Description of Remedy

The chicken pox vaccine has been around since the 1990's. Since immunization has become fairly wide-spread, the number of cases has drastically decreased.

Varivax is the name of the the live-virus vaccine that produces immunity against chicken pox. The one strain that is used in the vaccine, The Oka strain, is much weaker than the naturally occurring strain (varicella).

How it works

The Oka virus (the weaker virus) goes into the bloodstream and begins to replicate which causes the immune system to develop antibodies to fight it. Once these antibodies are in the system, the body generally becomes impervious to the virus once exposed to it again.

Benefits

• The chicken pox can be a very debiliating illness, especially in adults. It is recommended for most adults to get the vaccination since they are likely to develop a more serious condition known as shingles if they are infected with the chicken pox virus.
• The vaccine greatly reduces the chance of getting the Chicken Pox virus. If a vaccinated person does get the chicken pox, the reaction is generally much milder.
• It is still unclear how long the vaccine works for, but most believe it has very long lasting immunity.

Risks or Contraindications

It is best to check with your doctor before starting a treatment for any medical condition.

• In most cases, the reaction to the vaccine is very mild. Mild symptoms include:
  • low-grade fever
  • rash at the injection site (usually vaccine is injected in the flesh of the upper arm)
  • a few lesions (or small red bumps that resemble the chicken pox) occur near the injection site. It is usually 3-5 lesions that should only last for a day or two.

• A more drastic reaction to the vaccine can include the following symptoms:
  • allergic reaction within a few hours of the shot. This can include extreme hives, wheezing, and anaphlaxis
  • Chest infection, such as Pneumonia - this is very rare

Where to get this remedy?

Where to get this?

The vaccine is administered through a doctor's office either by a doctor or a Registered Nurse.

Who should get vaccinated?

• Any child from age 18 months or older should get the vaccine if they have not yet had the chicken pox.
• Adults who never had the chicken pox. It is strongly recommended that adults who have not had the chicken pox should get vaccinated as side effects can be much more serious in adult infection. A simple blood test can confirm someone has ever had the chickn pox through presence of the antibody.

Who should not get vaccinated?

• Pregnant women. The vaccine can be lethal for the fetus.
• People who are taking aspirin currently/regularly- within the past 6 weeks.
• Those with a comprimised immune system, such as from HIV or AIDS
• Those who have had a transfusion of Immunoglobulin G in the past 4-6 months.
• Those who are allergic to neomycin.

References

• http://www.nlm.nih.gov
• http://www.cdc.gov/nip/vaccine/varicella/default.htm