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ACIP backs varicella vaccine requirement

Recognizing the high risk of preventable varicella infections among children, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) is calling for states to require varicella vaccination for children entering child care facilities and elementary school.

The updated recommendations, published in the May 28 Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR), also address use of the vaccine following exposure to varicella and for outbreak control (data indicate that giving the vaccine within three days, or possibly as late as five days after exposure, can prevent the majority of varicella cases), use of the vaccine for selected children infected with the human immunodeficiency virus and vaccination of adults and adolescents at high risk for varicella exposure.