Vaccinations' sticking points

THANK YOU to Dr. Maria Raven for furthering our understanding of the virus that causes chickenpox ("Withholding vaccination puts everyone at risk," Op-ed, May 14). I cared for my six-month-old niece when she contracted the virus. She battled a high fever, pulled clumps of her hair from her itching scalp, and wept with discomfort for days. When my sister came down with the virus at age 4, she spent a month in the hospital fighting off a terrifying strep infection that had entered her leg through a chickenpox lesion.

Many of us remember chickenpox as a mere inconvenience soothed by cool baths and calamine lotion. As parents weigh information about the risks and benefits of vaccinations, it is critical that pediatricians ensure that they fully understand the risks the varicella virus poses to the most vulnerable in our communities.

KAREN DEMPSEY
Cambridge

THERE IS little doubt that childhood vaccinations benefit the public. The 20th century witnessed the eradication of smallpox, polio, and a major cause of spinal meningitis in the United States as a result of childhood immunization programs. As pediatricians, protecting children from serious infectious diseases is at the heart of what we do every day.

In the case of chickenpox, however, our public health policy mandating vaccination as early as 12 months may actually put our children at greater risk as they age.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, a single dose of varicella vaccine steadily wanes over time, and a second dose is required. The unanticipated loss of immunity from early vaccination is resulting in older children getting chickenpox, and in some cases, more severe disease. In decades to come we may face a resurgence of adult chickenpox, which can be more serious and have more complications.

Resources need to be focused on ensuring that all adults and older children, who lack immunity to varicella, are properly immunized. The present public health policy of mandating toddler vaccination against chickenpox, we believe, is ill-conceived and should be reexamined.

Dr. JONATHAN BENJAMIN
Dr. ROGER SPINGARN
Newton Centre