Vaccination to prevent varicella and shingles

摘要

Vaccination of healthy children against varicella using the live attenuated Oka vaccine has been available in Japan and south Korea for several years. In 1996, a programme of universal vaccination of children to prevent varicella was intro- duced in the USA and other countries, including Canada, Germany, and Sweden, have licensed the vaccine for use in healthy children. This article reviews the origin of the Oka vaccine and the evidence for vaccine safety and efficacy in children and adult. Universal vaccination of chil- dren and targeted vaccination of groups at risk of severe varicella are discussed. The possible use of the Oka vaccine to prevent zoster is reviewed, and initiatives to devleop new varicella zoster virus vac- cinces are outlined.