Active immunization against varicella of children with acute leukaemia or other malignancies on maintenance chemotherapy.
Twenty-six patients with acute leukaemia and other malignancies susceptible to varicella were vaccinated with the Oka-strain live attenuated varicella vaccine during maintenance chemotherapy. All recipients showed no adverse clinical reactions. There was no spread of vaccine virus. Seroconversion was 94% in seronegative patients. Among those having low antibody titres before vaccination, a booster effect was demonstrable in 56%. None of the seroconverted recipients contracted varicella despite documented contact exposure. No case of herpes zoster occurred. The results suggest that, in immunocompromised children, live varicella vaccination has a protective effect against varicella infection which may result in a mortality rate of up to 7% in these patients.
D000208:Acute Disease; D002644:Chickenpox / Q000517:prevention & control*; D019433:Chickenpox Vaccine; D002648:Child; D014645:Herpesvirus 3, Human / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007111:Immunity, Cellular; D007165:Immunosuppression Therapy; D007938:Leukemia / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000276:immunology*; D014611:Vaccination; D014765:Viral Vaccines
D019433:Chickenpox Vaccine; D014765:Viral Vaccines