My daughter’s pediatrician urged us to vaccinate our daughter. He said that this vaccine significantly reduces the possibility of getting chicken pox (although it does not totally eliminate this possibility). He also said that if our daughter eventually gets chicken pox it will we a milder version of the disease.

 

I checked the medical information center webpage (http://medic.med.uth.tmc.edu/ptnt/00001180.htm) , and this is what they say:

 

“A vaccine for chickenpox is now available for immunization which is 70 to 90 percent effective in preventing people from getting the disease. Those individuals who do develop the disease after immunization will have a milder case than non-immunized individuals. The vaccine will be integrated into immunization schedules for children. The vaccine is being recomended as a single shot for children ages 12 months to 12 years who have not had the disease. Ages 13 to adult who have not had chicken pox should receive two doses four to eight weeks apart. Infants under the age of one cannot receive the vaccine, but their exposure to the disease should be minimized as older children are vaccinated. Your physician may perform a laboratory test to detect whether you have been exposed to the virus prior to giving the vaccine. Some individuals are infected with the virus and create antibodies against it, but never have a rash that is recognized as chicken pox. These individuals would not benefit from being vaccinated.”