What is chicken pox?

• Chicken pox is a disease caused by the virus Varicella Zoster, a member of the herpes virus family.
• Chicken pox usually appears in childhood, but adults can sometimes contract it.
• Symptoms include fever, flu or cold-like symptoms, and red spots appearing mostly on the face, scalp and trunk.

How serious is chicken pox?

• Most children get through chicken pox without long-lasting effects.
• About 1 in 1,000 children develop an infection of the brain called encephalitis. Encephalitis symptoms include rapid movements of the eyes, difficulty maintaining balance when walking, and convulsions. Encephalitis can be fatal. The pox lesions themselves can also become infected, leaving scars.
• While children can develop natural immunity after a case of chicken pox, the risk of encephalitis makes vaccination against chicken pox a safer choice.

About the chicken pox vaccine

• A vaccine against chicken pox has been widely available in the U.S. since 1995. Cases of chicken pox have declined dramtically since then.
• Chicken pox vaccinations are available at your local health department clinic, and are now part of recommended childhood immunizations.
• A survey of children who contracted chicken pox showed that 70% preferred the vaccination to the actual disease.

Who needs to be immunized against chicken pox?

• As of 2002, chicken pox vaccination is required in Mississippi on or after a child's first birthday in order to enter five-year-old kindergarten.
• Generally, all children between 12 and 18 months should be immunized against chicken pox if they have not already had the disease.
• Children between the ages of 19 months and 13 years who have not had chicken pox should also be immunized. Because chicken pox can be more severe in adults, those over 13 should have two vaccinations, 4 to 8 weeks apart.