Chickenpox vaccines have virtually wiped out severe complications and deaths in American children from the highly contagious virus, a new report finds.
Chickenpox —which is caused by the varicella-zoster virus, a type of herpes virus — was considered just a normal part of growing up until the vaccine became available in 1995.
The chickenpox vaccine implementation is “a tremendous achievement,” said the study’s lead author, Dr. Mona Marin, a medical epidemiologist at the CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Disease.
An estimated 90.3% of children have been vaccinated against chickenpox by age 2, according to the CDC.
The CDC recommends two doses of chickenpox vaccine for children, teens and adults who have never had the disease.