Medical Health Encyclopedia

As with other live-virus vaccines, the chickenpox vaccine is not recommended for the following:

• Pregnant women (including the three months prior to pregnancy). Of note, an encouraging study suggested that pregnant women who were inadvertently vaccinated did not face a higher risk for birth defects in their offspring.
• People whose immune systems are compromised by disease or drugs (such as after organ transplantation). The vaccine is being studied, however, for its safety in some of these patients, particularly children with cancer or other high-risk conditions. Experts report that it is safe in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), who should receive two doses. Certain children who are HIV positive may be candidates for the vaccine. An inactivated varicella vaccine may be safe and effective in patients undergoing bone marrow transplants when given before and after the operation.
• At present, most patients who cannot be vaccinated but are exposed to chickenpox are given immune globulin antibodies against varicella virus. This helps prevent complications of the disease if they become infected.

Side Effects of the Chickenpox Vaccine

Discomfort at the Injection Site. About 20% of vaccine recipients have pain, swelling, or redness at the injection site.

Mild Rash and Risk of Transmission. The vaccine may produce a mild rash within about a month of the vaccination, which has been known to transmit chickenpox to others. Individuals who have recently been vaccinated should avoid close contact with anyone who might be susceptible to severe complications from chickenpox until the risk for a rash has passed.

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Severe Side Effects. Between 1995 and 2001, 759 serious adverse effects were reported. Such events included seizures, pneumonia, anaphylactic reaction, encephalitis, Stevens-Johnsons syndrome, neuropathy, herpes zoster, and blood abnormalities. Anecdotal reports have found a higher association of side effects when varicella vaccine is given at the same time as the MMR vaccination (for measles, mumps, and rubella). Because combined vaccinations are being developed, such effects should be closely studied.

Long-Term Protection and Booster Shots