Fifteen years after vaccine licensure, the incidence of varicella and associated hospitalizations continue to decline, including among adolescents and young adults.
The live attenuated varicella-zoster virus (VZV) vaccine was licensed in the U.S. in 1995. At that time, VZV infected virtually all children, with the highest incidence in those aged <10 years, and led to approximately 11,000 to 13,000 hospitalizations and 100 to 150 deaths annually Morbidity was worse for adolescents and young adults, and some experts were concerned that vaccination of young children could lead to an increase of VZV disease in those more vulnerable groups. To assess changes over time in the incidence of varicella disease in children and adolescents aged 5 to 19 years, researchers at Kaiser Permanente of Northern California conducted cross-sectional telephone surveys in 1995, 2000, 2003, 2006, and 2009.
From 1995 to 2009, th…
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DisclosuresGrant/Research SupportNIH Institutional Clinical and Translational Science Award; Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality National Center for Pediatric Practice Based Research Learning; Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute
Editorial BoardsCurrent Problems in Pediatric Adolescent Healthcare
Leadership Positions in Professional Societies College of Physicians of Philadelphia (Board of Trustees)
DisclosuresGrant/Research SupportNIH Institutional Clinical and Translational Science Award; Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality National Center for Pediatric Practice Based Research Learning; Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute
Editorial BoardsCurrent Problems in Pediatric Adolescent Healthcare
Leadership Positions in Professional Societies College of Physicians of Philadelphia (Board of Trustees)