Editor, Times-Union: Hysteria has set in at Milford Middle School, due to five cases of chickenpox, a frequency which apparently crossed a Department of Health reactionary threshold. Forty years ago, chickenpox was simply a childhood rite of passage, certainly not to be feared. Severe symptoms or complications were quite rare. And they are still quite rare, for youngsters which contract a natural case of varicella-zoster virus (VZV) infection. Most people are not aware that childhood cases of chickenpox have historically served a protective function for the older generations: exposure to children with chickenpox, periodically throughout one’s adult life, provides an immunity boost which has helped to protect the older folks from contracting the more severe version of VZV infection, which is Shingles. (Shingles is currently an epidemic in this country, more on that in a moment.) The chickenpox vaccine was introduced in the United States in 1995, is not 100 percent effective, and has been associated with a variety of adverse events, including some deaths. Now, it is no coincidence that the rate of Shingles infection has increased following implementation of chickenpox vaccination of children. Adults no longer have the benefit of routine periodic exposure to chickenpox immunity boosts. Their VZV immunity wanes over the years, and they end up with Shingles. Additionally, Shingles no longer afflicts only the elderly; it is now presenting in younger and younger people – 20- and 30-year-olds are not uncommon and it is even occurring in children. The company which manufactures and markets the chickenpox vaccine is Merck. The company which manufactures and markets the Shingles vaccine is Merck. Follow the Money. Reference: http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/11/02/chicken-pox-vaccine-creates-shingles-epidemic.aspx Pamela Orcutt Leesburg, via e-mail
