Chickenpox vaccines under scrutiny after deaths in Poland

Committee to investigate chickenpox vaccine used in Denmark for its risk of encephalitis.

Two chickenpox vaccines to be investigated for their association with encephalitis.

The Danish Medicines Agency writes this in a press release.

The investigation was initiated by the European Committee for the Evaluation of Medicinal Products for Human Use (PRAC) after a child in Poland lost his life to encephalitis.

The child was vaccinated with one vaccine, Varilrix, which is not marketed in Denmark. However, the other vaccine, Varivax, is.

It is already clear from the two chickenpox vaccines, Varilrix and Varivax, that in rare cases there may be a risk of encephalitis.

The study will, among other things, determine whether the description on the package leaflet should be changed.

Encephalitis can also occur in rare cases with natural chickenpox infection.

This is stated by Head of Unit at the Danish Medicines Agency Line Michan in the announcement.

She encourages people to consider vaccination in consultation with their doctor, and otherwise react if they experience symptoms of encephalitis.

“For example, this could be the development of fever, headache, nausea and confusion over a week after vaccination,” she says.

The vaccine is not included in the Danish childhood vaccination program, but you can buy the vaccine yourself, which is approved for both children and adults.

In 2023, approximately 7,500 children in Denmark were vaccinated against chickenpox.

The chickenpox vaccines are widely used across the EU, and cases of encephalitis are extremely rare, writes the Danish Medicines Agency.

The board has only received a single report of encephalitis and meningitis in a person vaccinated with Varivax in the years the vaccine has been on the market.

Chickenpox is a common childhood illness that manifests itself with fever and a rash consisting of bumps, blisters, and crusts all over the body.

Most children get the disease when they are young and become immune for the rest of their lives. The vast majority experience a mild to moderate course, according to sundhed.dk.

Adults who did not have chickenpox as children can become infected. Most people experience feeling sicker than children.

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