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Chickenpox: 'We cannot afford to treat this disease with contempt any longer'

Chickenpox vaccination, not chickenpox, should be routine for Canadian children

In her commentary on chickenpox in children, Dr. Barbara Law warns that Canadians have become complacent about the dangers of the disease and, more importantly, about the ability to eradicate it through vaccination programs.

“It is time for our provincial and territorial governments to act on the consensus reached in May 1999 that chickenpox vaccination should be made an integral part of publicly funded immunization programs,” writes Dr. Law. She adds that vaccination could not only reduce the number of children stricken with chickenpox — which generally makes those affected sick enough to require home care for about 4 days — but also reduce the more serious effects of the virus later in adulthood.

Dr. Law does not mince words. “We now have an opportunity to add chickenpox to the list of infectious diseases made obsolete if not eliminated by routine immunization. We cannot afford to treat this disease with contempt any longer.”

Contact: Dr. Barbara Law, Section Head, Pediatric Infectious Disease, Winnipeg Health Sciences Centre

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