Did You Know? . . . One or Two per Week

Prior to the introduction of the chickenpox vaccine in the United States, one or two children died every week from chickenpox or complications of the disease. However, the inclusion of the vaccine into the recommended childhood immunization schedule has led to fewer than 20 deaths and less than 1,700 hospitalizations each year.  While the vaccine has been successful in reducing death and hospitalization, unfortunately, only about nine out of 10 eligible people are vaccinated, so the disease still sickens and kills people in the U.S. every year. For example, in the U.S. from 2009-12, about 64,000 people got chickenpox and 45 people died. While the numbers continue to decline, there is still work to be done.