Follow
Double vaccine doses lowered chickenpox cases in the U.S.
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention has recently announced that a new vaccine succeeded in reducing the chickenpox cases. The infection rate has considerably decreased, by more than eighty percent. Doctors are confident that soon they will receive even fewer chickenpox cases.
The official announcement was made two days ago, on September 2. More precisely, the rates lowered by eighty-five percent. This holds valid for the last decade.
These results were observed in a certain group age, namely in children aged 5 to 14. This piece of information leads researchers to believe that these particular children got two vaccine shots over the years. Doctors believe that the two doses administered in childhood are efficient and resulted in the significant drop they have all noticed.
Before this procedure was implemented in 1996, no less than four million chickenpox cases were reported in the U.S. every year. Statistics also show that about ten thousand patients needed hospitalization. One of the saddest parts is that more than one hundred people died annually because of the disease.
The second vaccine dose was introduces ten years later, namely in 2006.
Doctors strongly recommend to parents that they make sure their children receive the chickenpox vaccine. They also suggest that the appropriate age for the first shot is one-year-old, with the second shot administered to the child at the age of four or five.
Chickenpox or varicella is caused by the varicella-zoster virus. The common symptoms of the disease are rashes, which extend all over the body, fever, as well as the need to rest and sleep. It is highly contagious, and this is why patients tend to be isolated. The disease affects mostly kids. It can also occur in adults with weak immune system, according to officials. However, varicella is much more aggressive on adults than it is on kids.
Doctors also warn people about potential side effects of the chickenpox vaccines. They can give patients rashes and even fast heart bits. They can happen a few hours after the administration of the vaccine. Local doctors know how to treat such cases. However, these manifestations are extremely rare.
Parents should also bear in mind that chickenpox is not the only disease they should protect their children from. As a result, kids should also receive vaccines against mumps, measles, and rubella.
Image courtesy of: Public Domain Image
