ith back to school well under way isn't it amazing how colds and sore throats are upon us so quickly. Summer is but a distant memory. Here is something else to think about.
Chickenpox (varicella) is highly contagious and occurs frequently in childhood. The American Academy of Pediatrics and the Canadian Pediatric Society are now recommending that all susceptible children be vaccinated against Varicella (chickenpox). The reason is that although many cases of chickenpox are self limiting there are serious complications in 5-10% of otherwise healthy children.
These complications can range from secondary infections of pneumonia, otitis and bacterial skin infections (an increased risk of 60 fold) to more serious systemic infections. There is an estimated 1000-5000 Canadian children (1% of cases) hospitalized from these complications each year as well as an average of 2 deaths per year.
The financial costs for Canadianfamilies have been estimated at $353.00 per child with 80% of these costs being directly caused by lost income, time lost from work and personal home care expenses. Children aged 1-12 should receive a single dose with children over 12 receiving a booster 4-8 weeks after the initial dose.
The vaccine is effective and prevents 9 out of 10 cases of chickenpox of any severity and it is 95% effective against severe varicella. No major side effects have been reported from its 20 years of use in Japan and 5 years in the USA with over 15 million doses administered worldwide to date. Minor side effects include fever and local pain/swelling at the site of the injection.
Please talk to your doctor about this vaccine. Chickenpox can be serious. The vaccine costs about $75.00 and can be picked up at the pharmacy.
Claudia McKeen B.Sc.Phm. is the the owner/pharmacist of Pharmasave Apothecary in the Glebe.