Chickenpox Vaccine

The chickenpox vaccine is a live attenuated vaccine. Live attenuated vaccine means the live, disease-producing virus is modified, or weakened, in the laboratory to produce an organism that can grow and produce immunity in the body thereby stopping the occurrence of the illness. The vaccine is given as a shot in the fatty tissue of the body.

Vaccine dosage

• The first dose is administered when the child is 12-15 months old
  
• The second dose when the kid is 4-6 years of age.
  
• If a child has not been vaccinated before the age of 13 or if any individual was not vaccinated before the age of 13, they will receive 2 shots within a span of 4-8 weeks
  

This vaccination is very safe and is highly effective. Almost 97% of the kids who have been vaccinated with this vaccination are immune to it. The vaccination has no serious side effects. The chickenpox vaccine is never given to anyone who is allergic to gelatin or neomycin. Pregnant women must not take the chickenpox vaccine during their pregnancy and must wait for a month after delivery. Persons suffering HIV or cancer must check with their doctors before opting for chickenpox vaccine.

MMR Vaccination

The rubella vaccine is a live attenuated vaccine; a mixture of three live attenuated viruses. It is given as part of the MMR vaccine (protecting against Measles, Mumps and Rubella). All girls should be vaccinated against German measles. This is to prevent problems during pregnancy. First the measles vaccine was developed, later the mumps vaccine and finally the rubella vaccine was developed. They were combined into a single vaccination in the year 1971. These days a vaccine called the MMRV is available which is used to address mumps, measles, rubella and varicella (chickenpox).

Vaccine dosage

These days all children are administered the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine (MMR or Priorix) in two doses.

1. The first dose is administered in 12-15 months
2. The second one in 3 years.

Women who have been vaccinated with this vaccine should avoid getting pregnant for a period of 3 months from the date of the vaccination. The first dose of MMR vaccine produces good immunity to measles (95–98%), mumps (97%), and rubella (95%). The second dose of MMR is supposed to produce immunity in people who did not respond to the first dose; however a very small percentage of people may not be protected even after a second dose.