PEDIATRICS Vol. 78 No. 4 October 1986, pp. 705-707
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Varicella Vaccine: A Point of Decision

Stanley A. Plotkin MD1

1 From the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, The University of Pennsylvania, and the Wistar Institute, Philadelphia

The governmental authorities on biologics soon will be asked to decide on the licensure of a live varicella vaccine. Pediatricians may then have to decide whether and how to use it. This commentary summarizes the data and provides a viewpoint in favor of licensure and use in normal children and adults. Additional articles are published in the accompanying supplement to this issue of Pediatrics.

The goals of a varicella vaccine are three: (1) to protect normal children against the complications of varicella, (2) to protect normal adults against the complications of varicella, and (3) to protect immunosuppressed children (particularly those with leukemia) against disseminated varicella.