Michigan Health Officials Stress Importance Of Vaccines As Chickenpox Spikes In State

LANSING (WWJ) - Michigan health officials are urging parents to get their children vaccinated after increased cases and outbreaks in the state.

According to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, preliminary numbers for 2016 indicate there have been 239 chickenpox cases through April — about 57 percent more than that time last year.

In light of the spike, the MDHH wants to remind parents the of the vital importance of childhood vaccinations.

"The chickenpox vaccine is safe and very effective, and is required for school and day care attendance to help prevent the spread of illness," said Dr. Eden Wells, chief medical executive of MDHH, in a media release. "It is important to know that, despite common misconceptions, illness from chickenpox can be severe and sometimes require hospitalization resulting in serious complications."

In the majority of the cases this year, individuals had not been vaccinated, according to the MDHH, and nearly all of the outbreak-related cases in 2016 had not been vaccinated.

Also known as varicella, chickenpox is caused by a virus in the herpes virus family and can be variable, ranging from mild with few "pox" lesions to very severe illness requiring hospitalization

It typically causes an itchy, blistery rash that may be preceded or accompanied by fever, tiredness, headache, and loss of appetite and is highly contagious, with the virus spreading easily through coughing and sneezing — spreading easily in schools, households, day care centers, camps, and other group activity settings, especially when there are pockets of low immunization rates.

Like other herpes-family viruses, the chickenpox virus may remain in the body indefinitely and reactivate later in life, causing a painful condition called shingles.

Chickenpox used to be very common, but since the vaccine was licensed in 1995 and recommended routinely for children, we have seen more than a 97 percent decline in its incidence in Michigan, MDHH officials say.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), adolescents as well as adults born after 1980 who have not previously had the disease and have not been vaccinated should also get the chickenpox vaccine, which involves 2 doses.

Studies have shown the recommended 2-dose series given in childhood is somewhere between 89 percent and 98 percent effective in preventing any mild-to-moderate chickenpox disease and 100 percent effective in preventing severe chickenpox.

Get more info on chickenpox from the CDC HERE.