The chickenpox vaccine has been found reducing the occurrence of the disease in children by 90 %, but experts feel that many parents do not take the vaccine seriously enough to vaccinate their children. Published in the journal Pediatrics, the study said that researchers from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported the reducing cases of chickenpox (also known as varicella) between the years 1995 and 2005 has resulted in as much as 75 % lower hospitalization for the disease and a 74% reduction in death. Children have been the greatest beneficiaries in this showing the most improvement.

Doctors began vaccinating children against chickenpox in 1995 and the number of cases dropped by a huge 90 % in 2005. "The U.S. varicella vaccination program has dramatically reduced varicella incidence and related complications, hospitalizations and deaths," the authors said. Despite these dramatic improvements doctors are recommending a two dose vaccine as they feel the single dose gives an 85 % coverage which may not be sufficient to prevent the spread of the virus in "high contact" areas like schools.

Health experts though feel that too many parents under the mistaken belief that chickenpox is not harmful, neglect to get their children vaccinated. Dr. James King, professor of pediatrics at the University of Maryland School of Medicine said, "In my failing memory, chickenpox was responsible for 100-200 deaths per year in the U.S." "It would be a virtual certainty that chickenpox would become widespread again if there were a reduction of the use of the varicella vaccine," he added. "It just amazes me that vaccines are not valued as they have been one of the most successful advances in medicine."

Agreeing with him, Dr. Gary Freed, director of the Division of General Pediatrics for the University of Michigan Health System said, "The public should [understand] how many hospitalizations and deaths were avoided by the use of the vaccine."

Mark Slifka, associate scientist at the Vaccine and Gene Therapy Institute at the Oregon Health and Science University, says the fact that most young Americans have been spared unpleasant memories of the itchy, scaly scabs of chickenpox is a victory in and of itself. "This is really quite an achievement," he says. "In just one generation, we have changed chickenpox from a virus that nearly every child had to suffer, to a virus that is causing only a handful of infections."

The vaccine benefits are not there for the younger children only feels King, the adolescents and adults can suffer badly if they get the virus. Parents face many problems if a child is sick with the chickenpox and they have to care for him taking time off from work. "I am ... amazed how economists do not place much of a financial value on a week's missed school, which is common," King says.

In some cases parents deliberately try to expose their child to chickenpox by exposing the child to an infected one in the tradition of "chickenpox sleepovers," so that the child can get the virus, recover and develop immunity to it subsequently.

"It is irresponsible for parents to purposefully expose their children to a wild-type virus when there is a vaccine available," Slifka says. "The vaccine is a vastly weaker strain of the same virus, and therefore much safer and with fewer side effects or disease complications."

Freed says "The chickenpox party is very 'old school. The key is having parents understand they can prevent disease. Even if the risk of hospitalization and death is relatively low, their children no longer need to experience the discomfort and suffering that is associated with chickenpox."

Researchers say though the vaccine has shown great success in curtailing the virus and two doses would increase the success rate even more, total eradication of the disease is a long way away as yet.

"Unfortunately, it is unlikely that we will get rid of chickenpox in our lifetime," Slifka says. "Since it can hide in otherwise healthy people for so long before 'jumping out' as infectious virus, it will be nearly impossible to completely eradicate it -- at least with the current vaccines that we have available at this time." The virus can "hide" in the body of healthy individuals, re-appearing years later in the form of shingles. Freed says parents who underestimate the importance of the vaccine for their children must keep in mind the risks of the illness."The risk of the vaccine is far less than the risk of the disease," he says.