Varicella Vaccine

Trade names:
      Varilrix  by Glaxo Smith Kline
      VZ-Vax by Vizcarra

Generic name:
     Varicella vaccine, live attenuated

Also known as:     
     Chicken pox vaccine or bakuna laban sa Bulutong tubig

How is it given?

      Subcutaneous or underneath the skin

How many times this should be given?
      2

When is it given?
     Primary: 12 months old
     Booster:  4 to 6 years old

What are complications of giving the vaccine?
      Very common: local swelling, fever, 
      Uncommon: seizures, chicken pox rashes

Why is there a risk of getting chicken pox rashes when i get my baby vaccinated, when I want protection against it?



      The vaccine is live attenuated or weakened vaccine...so if your immune system or your child’s is little less than the average, there is a very small chance that he might get rashes. But the rashes he will be getting are less than 15 pox marks. (This is better than getting the disease in which he can have chicken pox inside-out his entire body.) In both instances, the protection he develops is lifetime.

After receiving the initial vaccine, can my baby still get chicken pox?
      That's a small yes, there is still a very small chance that your baby can get chicken pox, but unlike the unvaccinated individual who looks and feels so sick, your baby will have less than 15 chicken pox and will be bouncing all over the place. He'll feel  better than the rest of the person in your house hold who has chicken pox.

Who gets worse complications?
      Adolescents and adults get worse vaccine complications than kids.

Should I let my kids receive Varicella vaccine?
      If you’re living in the United States of America and in countries that requires it, yes, you should.
      But there are countries that don’t require it, like, England; they don’t give routine Varicella vaccine to kids. Parents send their kids to have a chicken pox party. So their kids can have chicken pox disease while they’re young ,and then, never ever again. (Sounds reasonable...)
      In countries without clear cut recommendations and the government is not willing to pay for it, the parents decide if they want to pay for varicella vaccine.
     (My kids are all vaccinated...I hate the hassle of getting sick)