A Deep Dive into Rhode Island’s Primary Care Crisis

LIVE ATTENUATED VARICELLA VACCINE: USE IN HEALTHY ADULTS

We administered live attenuated varicella vaccine to 187 healthy adults seronegative to varicella-zoster virus (VZV); 176 have been followed at least 2 mos. 121/176 (69%) received 2 doses about 3 months apart. Side effects after 1 dose were: local reactions in 18 (10%), rash in 12 (7%), & fever in 4(2%). Side effects were less frequent after the 2nd dose. Vaccine associated rash was mild (mean 14 lesions, range 1-100). Vaccine type virus was isolated from 1 adult with a total of 8 lesions, 1 mo. After vaccination; there was no spread of vaccine virus to others. Seroconversions to VZV, measured by fluorescent antibody to membrane antigen (FAMA) were: after 1 dose 136/169 (80%), & after 2 doses 114/121 (94%). 22 seroconverted only after the 2nd dose; 7 (6%) failed to seroconvert after 2 doses. Positive antibody responses have been detected after 1 yr in 44/67 (66%), after 2-3 yr.In 19/28 (68%), & after 4-6 yr in 10/13 (77%). Ten have had a household exposure to varicella after as long as 7 years (mean 3 yrs); 6 (60%) developed at least some evidence of clinical varicella with 1-40 lesions (mean 16) but no toxicity. Seropositives (5/10) rarely developed clinical symptoms; 1 had 1 vesicle. There were a total of 10 cases of mild varicella in adult vaccinees with 1-58 lesions, (mean 10), 4-72 months after immunization. Wild type virus was isolated from 2 MDs, but there was no spread. Clinical infection was likely to occur in those seronegative at exposure (7/8, 88%) but the illness was still very mild. Varicella vaccine has the potential to control but not prevent nosocomial varicella. Varicella vaccine is less protective for healthy adults than for healthy children, but it modifies the illness even if VZV antibodies are no longer detectable.

MoH Launches Varicella Vaccine

DUBAI — The Ministry of Health decided to introduce the varicella vaccine (Chicken Pox) as part of the national immunization program to reduce the infection among children especially those under 10 years old.

Published: Tue 13 Mar 2012, 8:10 PM

Updated: Sat 4 Apr 2015, 7:09 AM

The vaccine was launched at a workshop here today at Hyatt Grand Hotel under patronage of Abdul Rahman Mohammed Al Owais, Minister of Culture, Youth and Community Development and Acting Minister of Health.

About 95 per cent of these children are infected by chicken pox, an infectious disease which is transmitted from one person to another either through respiratory secretions or direct contact with skin pellets. Although chicken pox is not dangerous yet it can lead to complications such as bacterial infections of the skin, lung, brain or joints.

As part of the national immunization program in the UAE, the MoH is keen to follow the latest health progress and recommendations of the world health organization as well as the experience of international countries in using new vaccines that would reduce the mortality rates especially among children.

Dr. Mahmoud Fikri, Assistant Undersecretary - Health Policy Affairs, MoH conveyed to the audience the regards of Al Owais, adding that the MoH has been updating the national immunization program to pace with the latest developments in this respect.

For protection, children are advised to take the varicella vaccine to protect them against disease. Additionally, they are provided with two boosters: one at 12 months old and the second booster at 5 years old "one dose". In some cases the varicella vaccine (chicken pox) is prevented among pregnant women and those have very less immunization such as cancer patients, chemotherapy patients, and genetic disease patients.

The varicella vaccine (chicken pox) is one of the safest and correct vaccinations used worldwide and led to the reduction of disease rates among children. The vaccine has been used in the UAE since a very long time but spread widely among the community members.

Based on a thorough study of the preventive medicine department, the higher national immunization committee at the MoH began using the vaccine to prevent children from the disease and organized a number of training programs for the medical districts staff and technicians. It also printed the health cards of the vaccine and distributed a large number of awareness brochures about the disease.

The total number of chicken pox cases between 2006-2010 reached 461.7 for every 10.000 residents, especially among those less than 5 years old. In 2010, the disease rate was 258.2 for every 100.000 people especially those below 15.

DOES LIVE VARICELLA VACCINE (LVV) PROTECT AGAINST OTHER HERPESVIRUSES?

It has been shown that Herpes Simplex Virus (HSV) and Varicella-zoster Virus (VZV) share antigenic determinants and that the VZV genome contains homologous regions to HSV-1 and HSV-2 genomes. More recently Edson, et al, found that the envelope glycoproteins HSV gB and VZV gp63 share common antigens and that cross reactive anti-HSV polyclonal and monoclonal antibody can neutralize VZV infection. Because of these common antigens, we sought to determine if administration of LVV in children can cause cross-reactive immune responses which could confer partial immunity to the heterologous viruses. Blood was obtained from 43 children at the time of LVV vaccine and three months later. A control group of 36 age matched children were tested to determine seroconversion rates in the absence of vaccine. Antibody response was determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. A sero-negative range for HSV and for CMV was established by studying sera obtained from 200 individuals of varying ages including newborns, infants, and adults. Seroconversion rate for the immunized population was 0 of 43 infants for HSV and 1 of 40 for CMV; respective rates for the control population were 2 of 35 and 1 of 36. (NS) We conclude that immunization with LVV vaccine offers no heterologous antibody protection to HSV and CMV in children.

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