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Vaccine Information Archive
Chickenpox (Varicella)
Articles & Further Information
Disease Definition
Chickenpox is a highly contagious infection caused by the
varicella-zoster virus, which is a member of the herpes group of
viruses. Symptoms of chickenpox take between 14 and 15 days after
infection to show.
The disease is spread by direct contact with people who are infected and it is often more serious in adults.
Symptoms of chickenpox include a rash that turns into open lesions (small wounds), which crust over.
Complications include:
- infection of the lesions;
- pneumonia (lung infection);
- difficulty walking and balancing;
- meningitis (infection of the membrane around the brain and spinal cord); and encephalitis (brain infection).
Chickenpox virus can reactivate many years after the initial infection and cause shingles (herpes zoster).
Source: www.immunise.health.gov.au
Prior to the introduction of a vaccine for Chicken Pox, this disease was considered to be nothing more than a nuisance and a rite of passage for most children. It was only after the introduction of the Chicken Pox vaccine that stories began to emerge of children dying from or becoming seriously ill as a result of Varicella infections.
In fact, when the vaccine was first introduced in Japan in the 1980's and in the US and Australia 10 - 15 years later, it was described as a money-saving venture. Because a parent would have to take time off of work in order to care for children who were sick with the Chicken Pox, a vaccine which would prevent infection was considered to be financially beneficial. It was only when this strategy did not have the desired effect of universal uptake of the vaccine that Chicken Pox began to be described as a serious illness.
In young children, the Herpes Zoster virus will most often cause Chicken Pox. The same virus however, can take on some very different features when it is reactivated in the elderly in the form of Shingles.
Shingles is a very painful disease caused by the same herpes virus that causes chicken pox (varicella zoster virus). Like other herpes viruses, the varicella-zoster virus has an initial infectious stage, (chicken pox) followed by a dormant stage. Then, with no warning, the virus becomes active again.
This reactivation of the virus is most likely to occur in people with a weakened immune system. This includes people with HIV disease, and anyone over 50 years old. In addition, we are now seeing infants and children who, despite having never had a primary case of Chicken Pox, are getting the painful and disfiguring Shingles after vaccination with the Chicken Pox vaccine. Use of this shot seems to be a short-cut for Shingles infections.
Herpes zoster lives in nerve tissue. Outbreaks of shingles start with itching, numbness, tingling or severe pain in a belt like pattern on the chest, back, or around the nose and eyes. In rare cases, herpes can infect the facial or eye nerves. This can cause outbreaks around the mouth, on the face, neck, and scalp, in and around the ear, or at the tip of the nose.
Shingles outbreaks are almost always on just one side of the body. Within a few days, a rash appears on the skin area related to the inflamed nerve. Small blisters form and fill with fluid. Later they break open and develop crusty scabs.
If the blisters are scratched, someone with shingles might develop a skin infection. This could require treatment with antibiotics and might cause scars.
In most cases, the rash goes away within a few weeks, but in some cases, severe pain can last for months or even years. This condition is called "post herpetic neuralgia."
Again, it is only since the introduction of the Chicken Pox vaccine that we have started to see cases of Shingles in the very young and those who have never had the Chicken Pox.
About the vaccine
Originally, it was thought that one Chicken Pox vaccine would protect for life. But the experience in Japan, which was the first nation to use this vaccine on its population, showed that rather then preventing Chicken Pox in children, it simply moved the disease to adults - an age group which was more susceptible to side effects from the illness.
In addition, there are a large number of vaccine failures - euphemistically called 'breakthrough' cases.
In a recent study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, it was found that children between the ages of eight and 12 who were vaccinated at least five years before getting chickenpox were significantly more likely to have moderate or severe symptoms. Those who were vaccinated before the five-year mark were more likely to develop mild symptoms.
The study also found that the number of cases of chickenpox in kids who had been vaccinated increased with each year that passed after they received the vaccination -- again suggesting the vaccine doesn't provide once-and-for-all protection.
The Chicken Pox vaccine, like the Rubella and Injected Polio vaccines, is cultured on human diploid cells which come from an aborted human foetus. It is also a live virus vaccine, meaning that both the vaccine recipient and those who are in close contact with them, are at risk of contracting and spreading the disease.
Vaccines used in Australia:
- VARIVAX - Oka/Merck - Varicella Virus Vaccine Live : DATA SHEET
- VARILIX - GlaxoSmithKline Australia - Varicella zoster vaccine, live attenuated - DATA SHEET
DATA SHEETS
Sourced from: www.medsafe.govt.nz
Similar
to 'Package Inserts' these Data Sheets contain information provided by
the vaccine manufacturer and list ,among other things, the vaccine's
ingredients and possible side effects.
We here at the
AVN had the up-to-date Australian vaccination information on our
website for years. Unfortunately, a couple of years ago, we were
ordered to remove these details due to supposed copyright issues though
they are freely available across the Tasman as you can see.
As
far as we are able to determine, this information and the vaccine
manufacturers are exactly the same as the information released on
vaccines in Australia. It seems that the powers that be in Australia do
not want you to know what is in the vaccines being used here, what the
listed side-effects are and what contraindications (or reasons why the
vaccine might not be appropriate) there are for individuals who are
considering taking this shot. Hopefully, the authorities in Australia
will one day become more open-minded on this issue and will decide that
parents are not only capable of understanding this information but
should have access to it to assist in their decision-making process.
For now, here is the information from New Zealand.
Information on Vaccines used in the USA can be found here: www.vaccinesafety.edu/package_inserts.htm
Please share the links to these pages with anyone you know who is considering vaccinating their children or themselves.
Investigate BEFORE you vaccinate
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