by Eboigbe Percious

Created on: December 14, 2010   Last Updated: December 16, 2010

In the early 19th century the thought of coming down with chicken pox sent shrivels through the spine , its painful itching  and consequent illness made it a dreaded disease .

Chicken pox is a highly contagious viral disease mainly affecting children between ages 2-7 . it is caused by the virus Varicella –zoster , a member of the Herpes viride family. It is acquired through droplet inhalation into the respiratory system and after an incubation period of 10 –23 days, an infected child comes down with small vesicles erupting on the face and upper trunk of the body, these vesicles are filled with pus and itch severely.

Chicken pox was very common in the early 90’s especially in Africa and the 3rd world, it was also one very severe in Europe and America hence the production of the attenuated vaccine (vaccine prepared from weakened or killed virus; varicella-zoster) which have been very effective. Vaccination was wide spread hence the near or total eradication of chickenpox.

Some would argue that this vaccination is no longer necessary, since the disease is no longer a threat.   There are some important facts parents and caregivers need to know.

WHY VACCINATE YOUR CHILD FOR CHICKEN POX:

A better understanding of the working of vaccines would reveal that vaccination does not only provide immunity against a target disease as in the case of chicken pox, but vaccination against any disease provides immunity against similar diseases.

Although vaccination provides long term immunity and may be heard immunity, one cannot tell when there may be an antigenic drift in the pathogen. as recently seen with the influenza pandemic, with several antigenic strains of the virus causing infections world wide. Immunity against similar pathogens could provide a certain level of immunity.

The causal agent of chicken pox, Varicella zoster is a latent virus and therefore lives forever inserted in the hosts DNA. It could cause re infection in adults in form of a new disease called Shingles. People who have been vaccinated against chicken pox may still get shingles but will have a much less severe case than those who had the disease itself

Independent newspaper of London reports that “Chickenpox, one of the most common infections of childhood, is killing a growing number of adults”. Figures published in the British Medical Journal show that in the early 1970’s, adults accounted for 48 percent of deaths from chicken pox, whereas by 2001 the figure had risen to 81 percent. Professor Norman Noah, of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, then warns: “This study confirms that chickenpox causes considerable mortality in adults. . . Our figure of 25 deaths a year [in England and Wales] is probably an underestimate. . . ..”

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