State may require
chickenpox shots
Officials say too few tots
Star-Bulletin staff and wire
have been protected against
the potential killerHawaii's health officials are considering whether to require chickenpox vaccinations for children entering school.
"We're talking to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) about this vaccine. It's still new," said Patrick Johnson, a spokesman for the state Department of Health.
Federal officials said yesterday that vaccinations against common childhood diseases are at record levels, but too few infants have been protected against chickenpox. They said it's the leading cause of vaccine-preventable death, with an average of one death a week.
Johnston said 34 percent of infants in Hawaii were vaccinated for chickenpox last year, which is higher than the national rate but still low.
Chickenpox cases aren't tracked in Hawaii since the vaccination isn't required, so the extent of the disease isn't known, Johnston said.
"It is a problem for people with compromised immune systems. It can kill," he said. "If a child is susceptible, it is recommended to get the vaccine."
The CDC said 95 percent of the nation's 2-year-olds had received three doses of diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis vaccine; 93 percent had received recommended doses of Haemophilus influenzae type B vaccine; and 91 percent had been properly vaccinated against measles and polio.
The CDC's 1997 National Immunization Survey found that 84 percent of children 19 to 35 months of age had received three doses of hepatitis B vaccine, a 2 percent increase from 1996.
Only 26 percent of infants had received at least one dose of the vaccine against varicella, also known as chickenpox, which became available in March 1995.
"That means that only one out of every four 2-year-olds have received that vaccine," said Dr. Jose Cordero, deputy director of the CDC's National Immunization Program.
"It's important that parents ask their doctor or their nurse whether their child is up to date and has received all the recommended doses of vaccines," he said.
