Varicella vaccine
Varicella vaccine, also known as chickenpox vaccine, is a vaccine that protects against chickenpox. One dose of vaccine prevents 95% of moderate disease and 100% of severe disease. Two doses of vaccine are more effective than one. If given to those who are not immune within five days of exposure to chickenpox it prevents most cases of disease. Vaccinating a large portion of the population also protects those who are not vaccinated. It is given by injection just under the skin.
The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends routine vaccination only if a country can keep more than 80% of people vaccinated. If only 20% to 80% of people are vaccinated it is possible that more people will get the disease at an older age and outcomes overall may worsen. Either one or two doses of the vaccine is recommended. In the United States two doses are recommended starting at twelve to fifteen months of age. As of 2012 most European countries either recommend it for all children or just those at high risk, but not all countries provide the vaccine due to its cost.
Minor side effects may include pain at the site of injection, fever, and rash. Severe side effects are rare and occur mostly in those with poor immune function. Its use in people with HIV/AIDS should be done with care. It is not recommended during pregnancy; however, the few times it has been given during pregnancy no problems resulted. The vaccine is available either by itself or along with the MMR vaccine, in a version known as the MMRV vaccine. It is made from weakened virus.
The chickenpox vaccine first became commercially available in 1984. It is on the World Health Organization's List of Essential Medicines, the most effective and safe medicines needed in a health system. In the United States it costs between 100 and 200 USD.
Mumps vaccine
Mumps vaccines are vaccines which prevent mumps. When given to a majority of the population they decrease complications at the population level. Effectiveness when 90% of a population is vaccinated is estimated at 85%. Two doses are required for long term prevention. The initial dose is recommended between the age of 12 and 18 months of age. The second dose is then typically given between two years and six years of age. Usage after exposure in those not already immune may be useful.
Side effects are generally mild. It may cause mild pain and swelling at the site of injection and mild fever. More significant side effects are rare. Evidence is insufficient to link the vaccine to complications such as neurological effects. The vaccine should not be given to people who are pregnant or have very poor immune system function. Poor outcomes among children of mothers who received the vaccine during pregnancy, however, have not been documented. Even though the vaccine is developed in chicken cells, it is generally safe to give to those with egg allergies.
Most of the developed world and many countries in the developing world include it in their immunization programs often in combination with measles and rubella vaccine known as MMR. A formulation with the previous three and the varicella vaccine known as MMRV is also available. As of 2005 110 countries provided the vaccine as part of their immunization programs. In areas where widespread vaccination is carried out it has resulted in a more than 90% decline in rates of disease. Almost half a billion doses of one variety of the vaccine has been given.
A mumps vaccine was first licensed in 1948; however it only had short term effectiveness. Improved vaccines became commercially available in the 1960s. While the initial vaccine was Inactivated subsequent preparations are live virus that has been weakened. It is on the World Health Organization's List of Essential Medicines, the most effective and safe medicines needed in a health system. There are a number of different types in use as of 2007. The wholesale cost in the developing world of the version that includes measles and rubella is 0.24 USD per dose as of 2014.
The vaccine is a component of Merck's three-virus MMR vaccine. Mumpsvax is given by a subcutaneous injection of live virus reconstituted from freeze-dried (lyophilized) vaccine.