The Chickenpox Vaccine Protects More Than Just Chickenpox
If you’ve been following the news lately, you may have heard that Justin Bieber was recently diagnosed with a rare neurological condition called Ramsey Hunt syndrome , which caused partial paralysis of his face. Ramsey-Hunt syndrome is caused by a partial reactivation of the varicella-zoster virus that causes chickenpox. Ramsey Hunt Syndrome, and the related disease shingles, are good reasons why it’s important that your children get the chickenpox vaccine.
How Infection with Chickenpox Can Lead to Ramsey Hunt Syndrome
When a person gets chickenpox, after the initial symptoms disappear, the virus remains in the body , dangling in the ganglia of sensory nerves in the form of a latent infection. Years later, the virus can reactivate , usually due to factors that weaken the immune system, such as stress, aging, medication, or a range of illnesses.
When the varicella-zoster virus reactivates, the most common result is shingles , which is an incredibly painful rash that is a band of blisters that appear on either the right or left side of your torso. Although shingles is rare, it can lead to some pretty serious complications, including loss of vision, chronic pain, or inflammation of the brain. A more rare result is the development of Ramsey-Hunt syndrome, when a virus reactivates in the facial nerve, causing damage to it.
Why is vaccinating children against chickenpox so important?
The chickenpox vaccine was introduced in 1995. Since then, the number of annual cases of chickenpox has dropped from four million a year to about half a million . The CDC estimates that the vaccine prevents 9,000 hospitalizations and 100 deaths each year. That’s a lot for a disease that is often considered mild.
An added benefit of vaccinating your children against chickenpox is that it will also protect them from developing shingles or Ramsey-Hunt syndrome later in life.
When should children be vaccinated against chickenpox?
In terms of vaccination, children are given the first dose at 12 to 15 months of age and the second dose at 4 to 6 years of age. a later date is also an option. The CDC catch-up schedule for the varicella vaccine recommends three months between doses if your child is younger than 13, and four months if they are 13 or older.
If you are an adult who has never had chickenpox, you can also get the vaccine at any time , with the second dose given at least 28 days after the first.
For adults, the shingles vaccine is also an option.
If you’ve had chickenpox in the past, there are still options to prevent either shingles or Ramsey-Hunt syndrome. Ashley Lipps, an infectious disease expert at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, recently told Healthline , “For those who have had chickenpox in the past, the shingles vaccine may reduce the risk of developing shingles or Ramsey.” Hunt Syndrome.
The CDC recommends that adults over age 50 get the shingles vaccine . They also recommend it for people over 19 with weakened immune systems. For adults with healthy immune systems, the vaccine is more than 90% effective in preventing shingles and provides reliable protection for at least seven years.