Chicken Pox Vaccine

Jim Davis, D.C., F.I.C.P.A., I.C.P.A.. Diplomate Candidate
Jan-feb 2003

Chicken pox is usually a mild disease in children. However, the push to mandate this vaccine for a relatively harmless disease of childhood (90 % of cases are in children < 10 years of age who have mild and rarely severe complications), stems from the high complications and mortality rate among high risk individuals. These groups of people are for whom the vaccine was originally designed. Those groups include children with leukemia or persons receiving steroids (given to persons with cancer, organ transplants, kidney disease and asthma.) Steroids are known to be immuno-supressors, leaving some people defenseless against what would normally be harmless diseases (9). These immuno-suppressed persons comprise only .1% of all chicken pox cases, yet constitutes the majority of chicken pox complications.(1,2,3)

Adults are another high risk group for complications from chicken pox. Adults comprise only 2% of chicken pox cases, but are responsible for 55% of deaths.
When an individual contracts the "wild" chicken pox virus, they develop a lifelong immunity to the disease. A question that should be asked is: do children who get the vaccine develop the same lifetime immunity? The answer is no one knows. The question remains as to whether mass vaccination in childhood will cause the disease to be delayed into adulthood where it will cause many more deaths and complications. A recent study looked at the results of 20 years of varicella vaccine use in Japan. It states "the incidence of adult varicella in Japan is increasing with substantial social cost"(4). Even Merck, the manufacturer of the vaccine states "the duration of protection of Varivax (chicken pox vaccine) is unknown at present" and "in a highly vaccinated population immunity for some individuals may wane". Merck also admits: "no placebo controlled trial was carried out with Varivax using the current vaccine" and "there is insufficient data to access the rate of protection against the complications (eg. encephalitis, hepatitis, pneumonia) in children". It also states the same for adults(5). This is a remarkable admission. The purpose of vaccinating every child is to avoid complications from the chicken pox. If we don't know whether or not it prevents these complications, why would it be given to healthy children?

Besides the obvious lack of knowledge on protection against complications from the chicken pox vaccine and by quite possibly causing more harm by delaying the disease until adulthood, we should investigate the most current data regarding what should matter most: deaths related to chicken pox.
According to Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) published by the CDC 45% of all chicken pox related deaths occur in children. Using the most current data available: four years prior to vaccination with varicella vaccine an average of 46 children died per year due to chicken pox complications. Since the mass inoculation of children with Varivax there have been and average of 42 deaths per year from complications from the disease. However, one should also include reports of adverse effects of the vaccine for an accurate comparison. According to information from the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) since 1999 there have been an average of 10 deaths per year associated with the varicella vaccine. Pre-varicella vaccine: 42 deaths per year. Post varicella vaccine: 52 deaths per year. This is astonishing especially when one looks at the FDA's admission that only 1-10% of all adverse reactions are ever reported. The 10 vaccine deaths could be 100-1000 deaths considering the vast under reporting according to the FDA.

Dr. Walter Orenstein, Director, CDC National Immunization Program, described being kept up for several nights with his five-year-old during a bout of chicken pox, admitting, "It's this kind of problem that the vaccine would help eliminate rather than serious disease"(6). According to the World Health Organization the United States is the only county in the world who has the chicken pox vaccine on its vaccine schedule. Are we so far advanced in our thinking compared to the rest of the world, or are we too willing to jump on the "any vaccine bandwagon" without appropriate testing (let alone need) of the chicken pox vaccine?

It also appears that the chicken pox vaccine may cause an increase risk for developing shingles (7,8). Some have also suggested a re-evaluation of the mass chicken pox vaccination policy until we know exactly what the increased incidence of shingles will be. Scientists estimate as a result of varicella vaccination there will be an increase of 100 deaths per year from the shingles. Coincidently, this is approximate number of chicken pox related deaths per year.

Looking at the MMWR post-vaccination death rates and the possible added deaths due to the increase in shingles, it appears we may be increasing the overall deaths by giving the vaccine. This does not even include the number of deaths caused by side effects of the vaccine. Even with data such as this, the logical thinking to stop and re-evaluate the current policy and to look closer at the shingles/varicella vaccine association is not being done. Instead of examining this relationship, a large study is underway for the development of a shingles vaccine. Is it any coincidence the company researching this new vaccine is also the same company that produces the varicella vaccine? The Varivax vaccine earns Merck nearly one billion dollars per year, will this new shingles vaccine earn the same? Will it create new side effects, which will lead to increased incidence of some other malady, causing the "need" for another vaccine? Vaccines to treat problems caused by vaccines. Sounds like and interesting and profitable business plan.

The chicken pox virus does not kill. The complications due to the disease cause potential problems to high risk individuals. Those are the people the vaccine was originally designed for and those are the individuals that should be vaccinated. The varicella vaccine has insufficient evidence that it reduces the complications of chicken pox and has not affected death rates (at least in a positive manner) since being introduced in 1995. We do not know if it will push the onset of chicken pox into adulthood where it is 25 times more likely to become lethal. Let parents decide if they want to give their child yet another vaccine, but please do not allow them to be misinformed and allow their children to be used as experimental subjects without giving them all of the facts to help them make an informed decision.

This article was submitted by Jim Davis, DC, FICPA and Candidate for the ICPA Diplomate program.

References provided on-line at:
http://pathwaystofamilywellness.org/references.html