PEDIATRICS Vol. 63 No. 2 February 1979, pp. 348
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Letter To The Editor

C. Henry Kempe M.D.1 and Anne A. Gershon M.D.2

1 University of Colorado Medical Center, Denver
2 New York University Medical Center, New York

The studies of Zaia et al demonstrating a practical method for preparation of hyperimmune globulin, varicella-zoster immune globulin (VZIG), for passive immunization against varicella are encouraging. Consequently, in the future, it should be possible to obtain VZIG for high-risk children who have known exposures to varicella-zoster virus.

However, we believe that history has demonstrated that passive immunization is rarely a substitute for active immunization, and varicella is no exception to this rule. Passive immunization will be of no value if (1) persons are unaware that they were exposed or (2) they wait too long after exposure before notifying their physician.