Introduction
The chickenpox vaccination vaccines against the virus Varizella, which belongs to the herpes family and causes the disease chickenpox. Chickenpox occurs mainly in childhood. The skin and mucous membranes are affected with itchy, reddish blisters.
In itself, most chickenpox diseases are uncomplicated and heal within weeks. However, since the disease lasts for weeks and is highly contagious until the blisters have healed, and since it is assumed that an infected person is almost 100% infected when staying for one hour, the STIKO (Vaccination Commission) has decided to issue a recommendation for vaccination against chickenpox. The high rate of infection and the long duration of the disease also lead statistically to a high rate of complications.
Complications of a chickenpox infection
Rare but serious complications of chickenpox include Superinfection (bacterial infection via chickenpox disease), which can lead to severe pneumonia Reye’s syndrome blood poisoning Meningitis or encephalitits, an inflammation of the brain or cerebral membranes, which in turn can cause permanent damage Strokes, due to altered blood vessels Vaccination is particularly important, if it has not yet been given in childhood, before pregnancy. Fetuses infected with the varicella virus (chickenpox) often develop severe malformations that can also cause miscarriage.
- Superinfection (bacterial infection via chickenpox disease), which can lead to severe pneumonia, for example
- Reye syndrome
- Blood Poisoning
- Meningitis or encephalitits, i.e. inflammation of the brain or cerebral membranes, which can cause permanent damage
- Strokes, due to altered blood vessels
Who should be vaccinated against chickenpox?
Chickenpox vaccination is especially recommended for:
- Children
- Unvaccinated adults
- People who work in the hospital and
- Women with desire to have children
From when should I be vaccinated?
As the vaccination against chickenpox is a live vaccine, it is administered later than dead vaccines, which can be vaccinated from the age of two months. For the vaccination of live vaccines the immune system must be more mature. According to the vaccination calendar of the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), the first vaccination against chickenpox, which is usually given together in a combination vaccine with mumps, measles and rubella, should be administered between the eleventh and fourteenth month.
If the chickenpox vaccine (also known as varicella vaccine) is not vaccinated together with the MMR vaccination (MMR = mumps, measles, rubella), there should be a period of at least four weeks between the two vaccinations. If a timely vaccination was missed, a chickenpox vaccination can be made up at any time. Especially adolescents and adults are more likely to suffer from complications of chickenpox than children, so if they have not yet been vaccinated and have not yet contracted chickenpox, they should be vaccinated again.
