Chicken pox vaccination granted FDA approval

Children across America now need to come up with a new excuse to miss a week or two of school. After over a decade of research and testing, the Food and Drug Administration approved a vaccine for chicken pox on March 17th. Approximately 95 percent of United States children have suffered from chicken pox, the last significant childhood disease for which no vaccine exists. Following the spread of the vaccination, American children will no longer experience the symptoms of chicken pox -- ranging from itchy blisters to fever to death in the worst of cases. The vaccine will also prevent the more serious adult consequences of the disease, including pneumonia and brain swelling. The vaccine is considered safe with a 70 to 90 percent rate of effectiveness in preventing chicken pox. However, the remaining percentage of the population may develop a weak form of the disease from the shot with about 50 blisters -- 10 times less than in a normal case. The vaccine is considered to be very low risk. "The advancements in medical research over the past few years have truly been amazing," College freshman Amy Gross said. "As soon as the new vaccine is available, I'll be one of the first in line." For those, like Gross, who have never suffered through the chicken pox, vaccination will require two shots. Children under 12 years of age will only need to receive one shot. The vaccine, known as Varivax, is manufactured by Merck & Co. Inc. of West Point, in Montgomery County. It should be available to doctors for $39 a dose, in six to eight weeks, according to Merck virologist Alan Shaw. If the vaccine is recommended by the national Centers for Disease Control, the costs will be covered by Medicaid for low-income Americans. Varivax works by introducing the varicella virus into the recipient where it will remain for the life of the individual. The presence of the virus will allow the body's own immune system to build up defenses against the disease. Long-term affects of the vaccine are still being studied. However, the same vaccine may also be able to eliminate shingles from the population, due to the body's new build-up resistances.