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During the first 6 years after the 1995 licensure of the varicella vaccine, varicella-related mortality in the U.S. dropped 66% (from 105 annual deaths to 39 deaths). This study examined varicella mortality from 2002 through 2007 — a period when vaccine coverage increased to about 90% in children aged 19 to 35 months.
In 2002, varicella was listed in 32 records as the underlying cause of death. The annual number of varicella deaths in 2003 through 2007 ranged from 13 to 19; this represents an 88% decline in the average mortality rate from 0.41 per million population in the immediate prevaccine years (1990–1994) to 0.05 per 1,000,000 in 2005–2007. The decline was greatest in patients younger than 20 (97%) but also was apparent in older patien…