Varicella Vaccination Lowers Risk of Pediatric Herpes Zoster

Children who are vaccinated against varicella have a significantly lower risk of developing herpes zoster (HZ) compared with those who are not vaccinated, according to the results of a recent study.

The study authors used data from 6 integrated health care organizations’ databases of children aged 0 to 17 years from 2003 to 2014. HZ cases were identified using electronic medical records, and HZ incidence rates per 100,000 person years of health plan membership were calculated.

Overall, 6,372,067 children with 1 or fewer months of health plan membership were included. The incidence rate for HZ among children who were vaccinated was 38 per 100,000 person years, 78% lower than that of children who were unvaccinated (170 per 100,000 person years.

From 2003 to 2014, overall HZ incidence declined by 72%, and annual rates in vaccinated children were consistently lower than those observed in unvaccinated children.

“With this population-based study, we confirm the decline in pediatric HZ incidence and the significantly lower incidence among children who are vaccinated, reinforcing the benefit of routine varicella vaccination to prevent pediatric HZ,” the researchers concluded.

—Michael Potts

Reference:

Weinmann S, Naleway AL, Koppolu P, et al. Incidence of Herpes Zoster Among Children: 2003–2014 [published online June 10, 2019]. Pediatrics. doi: 10.1542/peds.2018-2917.