Chicken Pox

Vaccinating children who are more than a year old against varicella, or chicken pox, also provides "tremendous indirect benefits" to young babies, researchers reported Monday in the journal Pediatrics. The U.S. implemented a variella vaccine program in 1995, offering the vaccine to children 12 months and older.  But younger babies who aren't old enough to get the vaccine are protected through so-called "herd immunity" -- because fewer older kids develop chicken pox, the younger children are less likely to be exposed to the virus.

Vaccinating children who are more than a year old against varicella, or chicken pox, also provides "tremendous indirect benefits" to young babies, researchers reported Monday in the journal Pediatrics. The U.S. implemented a variella vaccine program in 1995, offering the vaccine to children 12 months and older.  But younger babies who aren't old enough to get the vaccine are protected through so-called "herd immunity" -- because fewer older kids develop chicken pox, the younger children are less likely to be exposed to the virus.

Chicken pox, characterized by an itchy red rash known for keeping kids home from school, isn’t confined to children — adults can get it too.  Just ask Lakers point guard Steve Blake. And, maybe in time, his teammates. Kobe Bryant, Andrew Bynum and Ron Artest have not had the disease. For Lakers fans, that’s not good news. Catching the highly contagious disease -- which is caused by the varicella-zoster virus -- is extremely possible if you missed the two recommended vaccines as a kid or never suffered through through the illness.

Chicken pox, characterized by an itchy red rash known for keeping kids home from school, isn’t confined to children — adults can get it too.  Just ask Lakers point guard Steve Blake. And, maybe in time, his teammates. Kobe Bryant, Andrew Bynum and Ron Artest have not had the disease. For Lakers fans, that’s not good news. Catching the highly contagious disease -- which is caused by the varicella-zoster virus -- is extremely possible if you missed the two recommended vaccines as a kid or never suffered through through the illness.

Acyclovir, an anti-viral drug used to treat genital herpes, can also shorten the duration and misery of childhood chicken pox, suggests a study published last week. But parents eager to get their children up and about may be in for a surprise. In a random survey, Los Angeles area pediatricians said they are not likely to prescribe acyclovir routinely for chicken pox, an infectious viral disease marked by fever and blisters that strikes nearly everyone during childhood and lasts about five days.

Children who receive a single vaccine that protects against measles, mumps, rubella and chicken pox appear to have an increased risk of fever-related seizures in the days after the shot than do children who receive two separate vaccinations. A combination vaccine that protects against measles, mumps, rubella and varicella (commonly known as chicken pox) was approved for use in 2005, providing an option for parents who wanted to stick one fewer needle in their small children. Since then, parents could choose either that single vaccine, called measles-mumps-rubella-varicella, or two separate shots, one for measles-mumps-rubella and one for varicella.

Just as a measles epidemic at Boston-area colleges seemed to be abating, Tufts University said Wednesday that at least 18 students had come down with chicken pox. "It's a double whammy. We're monitoring chicken pox and immunizing against measles," said Louise Gazzara, nurse director at the school outside Boston. There is no vaccine for chicken pox.

A drug already on the market for treatment of herpes won government approval for use against chicken pox, the first such medicine to attack the virus, the manufacturer said Friday. The Food and Drug Administration endorsed the company's findings that use of the drug Zovirax, known generically as acyclovir, can reduce the duration and severity of chicken pox, a spokeswoman for Burroughs Wellcome Co said.

A widely available herpes medicine is the first treatment that can shorten the misery of chicken pox, a viral rite of passage suffered by about 4 million U.S. children annually, a study published today said. Virtually everyone gets chicken pox before adulthood, and until now there has been no effective treatment.

Chicken pox has struck the Louisiana State basketball team. Sophomore John Williams, a former star at Los Angeles Crenshaw High School, and teammate Bernard Woodside will be quarantined for two weeks, Dr. Marty Broussard, team physician, said Thursday. The disease is highly contagious, and other team members have been exposed, as has the Florida team, which beat LSU, 74-65, Wednesday night at Gainesville, Fla.

Every year about this time I start to squirm, watching my birthday lumber forth. I'm glad not to be dead. And even though my birthdays come way more often than they used to, and their numbers are surreal, I'm content to keep aging. That's not the problem. The dilemma is what to do with the damn thing. That is, after I've checked Your Birthday Today for my newspaper horoscope, gleaning pertinent wisdom for the year ahead. Then, to my computer, where my name will have magically appeared on the screens of every one of my 748 Facebook friends.

More than 1 million people each year suffer an outbreak of shingles. The itching or burning pain that accompanies a rash or blisters can last as long as a year. Dr. Paul Christo, director of the Multidisciplinary Pain Fellowship Training Program at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, will take questions during a live Web chat Wednesday (noon EST, 11 a.m. CST and 9 a.m. PST). Christo will discuss how to cope with pain and problems related to the virus most commonly associated with chicken pox. Senior citizens seem more at risk of an outbreak.

Children who receive a single vaccine that protects against measles, mumps, rubella and chicken pox appear to have an increased risk of fever-related seizures in the days after the shot than do children who receive two separate vaccinations. A combination vaccine that protects against measles, mumps, rubella and varicella (commonly known as chicken pox) was approved for use in 2005, providing an option for parents who wanted to stick one fewer needle in their small children. Since then, parents could choose either that single vaccine, called measles-mumps-rubella-varicella, or two separate shots, one for measles-mumps-rubella and one for varicella.

This is recent. I see a light from the corner of my left eye, as if someone were using a flashlight to get my attention. It is very unnerving. What can I do? TONY Los Angeles Flashing lights are visual disturbances that may represent something totally harmless or may be a symptom of a serious problem. Contact an eye doctor, because that's the only way you'll find out for sure what the cause is.

A 4-year-old boy arrived at an Iowa hospital with a fever, swollen lymph glands and various visible clues: a diffuse rash, cracked lips and peeling skin around his fingernails. Dr. Mark Graber, an emergency room veteran, quickly suspected Kawasaki's syndrome, a rare heart condition that can lead to fatal aneurysms. The boy had already visited several doctors and ERs "and the diagnosis was missed," Graber said.

Re "U.S. Weighs Risk of Smallpox, and Risk of Smallpox Vaccine," June 16: There is no perfect vaccine. If one compares the effects of smallpox (15% to 40% death rate) with the risk of the vaccine (an estimated one or two deaths per million of those vaccinated) there is hardly a question about choice. Smallpox is not pleasant. The virus spreads to all organs and there is considerable suffering on the part of the patient. Eradication of the disease (1977) resulted from a World Health Organization program to vaccinate all susceptible individuals, thereby breaking the chain of transmission.

Vaccinating young children against chicken pox would save more than $5 for every $1 in costs, says a UC San Francisco report that anticipates federal approval of a vaccine soon. The findings are timely as the nation grapples with health reform and looks for ways to stretch limited dollars to cover spiraling health care costs, researchers said. A new vaccine under final review by the Food and Drug Administration could be approved by spring.

Lisa Leslie never missed a basketball game during her four-year varsity career at Morningside High School, a span of 133 games. As it turned out, her last game was the closest call. Leslie is resting at home this week, recovering from chicken pox and strep throat that nearly prevented her from playing in Saturday night's State Division I girls championship game in Oakland. Fortunately for Morningside, Leslie overcame the illnesses to lead the Lady Monarchs to their second consecutive title.

A man arrested on suspicion of holding 74 illegal immigrants for ransom in a South Los Angeles home will be deported instead of prosecuted, authorities said Thursday. The 22-year-old man was arrested after he allegedly tried to blend in with the group of immigrants. The INS presented the case for prosecution, but federal prosecutors decided not to file charges because there wasn't enough evidence, said Thom Mrozek of the U.S. attorney's office.

The chickenpox vaccine has proved 85% effective--or about as good as experts expected--in preventing the childhood disease, according to the most rigorous study yet of its real-world use, reported today in the New England Journal of Medicine. "It works under conditions of community use. Now everyone needs to use it, and chickenpox will become a thing of the past," said Dr. Jane Seward of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.