Paper II
2022 February (2019 Scheme) · 100 marks · 180 min

Question

Vaccine against Varicella zoster virus.

Q104 marksShort Answers

Answer

Varicella (chickenpox) vaccine: a live attenuated vaccine derived from the Oka strain of Varicella-zoster virus.

Schedule: typically administered as two doses — the first dose around 12–15 months of age, and a second dose at 4–6 years of age (as per most national immunization schedules that include it); can also be given to older children/adults who are non-immune, and as post-exposure prophylaxis if given within 3–5 days of exposure in susceptible individuals.

Purpose/use: prevents primary varicella (chickenpox) infection, and, by reducing the burden of primary infection, reduces the subsequent risk of herpes zoster (shingles) arising from viral reactivation, particularly when administered before natural infection occurs. Contraindicated in pregnancy and in significantly immunocompromised individuals, given its live-attenuated nature.

(A separate, distinct herpes zoster (recombinant subunit) vaccine exists specifically for prevention of shingles/reactivation in older adults, distinct from the primary varicella vaccine.)

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