Varicella vaccine

The varicella vaccine protects against chickenpox, an infection caused by varicella-zoster virus. It uses a live attenuated virus to induce immunity.

Varicella-zoster virus: A herpesvirus that causes chickenpox and can later reactivate as shingles. The vaccine presents a weakened form of this virus to the immune system.
Childhood immunization schedule: A national or regional timetable for vaccines recommended during childhood. Many programs include varicella vaccine as a routine childhood dose.
Varicella-zoster immune globulin: A preparation of antibodies used to provide temporary protection against varicella-zoster virus. It can be used after exposure for certain high-risk people who cannot receive live vaccine.
Michihiko Oka: Japanese virologist who isolated the Oka strain used in varicella vaccines. His isolate became the basis of widely used live attenuated varicella vaccines.
Herd immunity: Indirect protection from infection that occurs when enough people in a population are immune. High vaccine coverage can reduce virus circulation and protect susceptible people.
Live attenuated vaccine: A vaccine made from a living pathogen weakened so it usually causes no disease in healthy recipients. Varicella vaccine uses this approach to produce a strong immune response.
Catch-up vaccination: Vaccination given later to people who missed doses recommended earlier. It helps close immunity gaps among children and adults without evidence of immunity.
Shingles vaccine: A vaccine intended to prevent herpes zoster, the later reactivation of varicella-zoster virus. It targets reactivation disease, whereas varicella vaccine primarily prevents initial chickenpox.
Oka strain: The attenuated varicella-zoster virus strain used in many chickenpox vaccines. Repeated passage of this isolate produced the vaccine strain.
Varicella epidemiology: The study of chickenpox distribution, transmission, and risk across populations. Vaccination has sharply changed age patterns and incidence in places with broad coverage.

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