This Article  • References  • Full text PDF  • Send to a friend  • Save in My Folder  • Save to citation manager  • Permissions  Citing Articles  • Contact me when this article is cited  Related Content  • Similar articles in JAMA  Social Bookmarking   What's this?

Martin Smukler, MD
Arcata, Calif

JAMA. 1994;271(24):1906.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text PDF and any section headings.

To the Editor.

—Considering the limited experience with the manufacturer's strain of varicella vaccine (only approximately 6000 doses given since 1981¹) and the relatively benign character of the natural disease, I find many of the assumptions and the convenient denial of possible long-term consequences of such a program by Lieu et al² very disturbing. The risk to the 5% to 10% of vaccinees who don't respond or to those children who are not vaccinated in the catch-up program and enter adulthood unknowingly susceptible to varicella is ignored. Similarly, the definite possibility of waning immunity is summarily disregarded with the statement, "Considerable uncertainty exists about several of the key assumptions in this model."² Since this vaccine will not eradicate the varicellazoster virus,³ this program may transform varicella from a mild disease of childhood to a severe disease of adulthood.

No amount of reduction in work-loss costs is . . . [Full Text PDF of this Article]

CiteULike    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter     What's this?