Varicella-related deaths--United States, 2002.
Varicella is a vaccine-preventable disease that can be fatal. During 2002, state health departments notified CDC about nine fatal cases of varicella in adults and children. This report summarizes clinical data for one adult and one child, reported from Kansas and Illinois, respectively. Both patients were susceptible, unvaccinated, and exposed to unvaccinated children with varicella. These deaths highlight the importance of implementing strategies recommended for varicella disease prevention (1,2), including child care and school vaccination requirements, and underscore the need for improving varicella death surveillance.
D000328:Adult; D002644:Chickenpox / Q000401:mortality*; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007087:Illinois; D007121:Immunocompetence; D007615:Kansas; D008297:Male