When should I get the chickenpox vaccine?

High season chickenpox can be scarce for vaccines, taking advantage of early vaccination, adequate doses, before or after the outbreak to help prevent disease effectively.

It is easy to become respiratory disease, often outbreaks in spring and winter when the weather is warm. According to the Department of Preventive Medicine, the number of cases of chickenpox disease tends to increase over the years. From early 2018 until now, the hospital has received thousands of children to visit and treat. Particularly in 2017, the country recorded nearly 40,000 cases, an increase of nearly 50% compared to 2016.

At the time of the outbreak, parents found sick children or friends in the same class should leave their children out of school and get vaccinated against chickenpox. However, the disease caused by the Varicella-Zoster virus can be transmitted from the previous incubation period of 10-14 days, meaning that no case has been detected in the class.

The number of patients began to increase from January, peaking in March with about 8,000 cases in 2017. May is the end of the high season of chickenpox, but the disease can occur at any time of the year. On average, each month remaining, there are less than 3,000 cases of chickenpox.

Most people with chickenpox usually recover and leave no scars, but sometimes complications occur. The disease can cause chain consequences such as domino chain: pneumonia, skin infection, blood infection, encephalitis, even death.

It is possible for the second time for people with weak immune systems.

Many people think that chickenpox only occurs once in a lifetime, but the disease can happen a second time for people with weak immune systems. Many cases of chickenpox when young, but the virus can still exist in the sensory nodes of the body, then cause shingles (shingles).

The virus that causes illness can develop when the body weakens its immune system, or when the weather changes to spread through the air.

Last year, Ms. Thu Huong (31 years old, Ho Chi Minh City) tried to wait until June, through the peak of new infectious diseases for 2-year-old children to send their first kindergarten class. However, after one week of schooling, she became ill, and after the second week, she got chickenpox home. Children under 5 years of age with incomplete immune systems may be infected with Varicella-Zoster virus year-round.

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends vaccination as an effective preventative measure . More than 90% of people who have been vaccinated will avoid the disease completely. The remaining 5-10% may have chickenpox after vaccination but are usually mild, with very few nodules (less than 50 notes), often without complications.

Vaccination is an effective way to prevent chicken pox.(Photo: Ctidoma).

Vaccination against children before or after the epidemic is also an important part, helping parents avoid scarcity of vaccines, crowding at vaccination centers. This also helps children with adaptive antibodies in the body, getting ready for a possible outbreak of chickenpox.

Children 1-12 years of age need one dose of vaccine to prevent chickenpox. From 13 years of age, each person needs two doses, at least 6 weeks apart for the best preventive effect. Women planning to have a baby should get the chickenpox vaccine 3 months before becoming pregnant.