SPOKANE--Washington State health officials are trying to find a way to require all children going to public schools to be vaccinated for the chickenpox.

NBC photo

The push comes after 14 students at Jefferson Elementary became sick with chickenpox last year, and students who had not been vaccinated for the virus were advised to stay home from school.

The state wants to avoid that situation this year, but officials are having trouble crafting a program that would be sensitive to the religious and personal preferences of parents.

Still, parents are being encouraged to have their children vaccinated for chickenpox before returning to school this fall.

Chickenpox has traditionally been considered a childhood illness and most commonly affects children under 12 years old. The highly contagious virus is easily spread through airborne respiratory droplets or personal contact. Symptoms include a red, itchy rash on the skin that usually starts on the stomach and spreads elsewhere, and often fever.

Chickenpox tends to be mild in children, and the most common complication is secondary infections of skin lesions. In adults the disease can be more serious, and, although post-childhood infections are rare, they are associated with a much higher mortality rate, particularly in pregnant women.

Prior to 1995, infection with the chickenpox was considered by many to be a rite of childhood, if not essential to prevent a more serious infection in adulthood. Parents often intentionally exposed their children to the virus with the expectation that the child's body would develop anti-bodies that would function as a natural vaccine.

According to the Washington Post, some parents have been known to have "pox parties", with the purpose of exposing their children to the virus to develop immunity. The method is generally effective; a second chickenpox infection is rare and resistance to the disease usually lasts a lifetime.

Vaccinations have only recently become popular; the vaccine became available in the U.S. in 1995. Prior to that time the Centers for Disease Control estimated 4 million cases of chickenpox each year, which resulted in 11,000 hospitalizations and 100-150 deaths, mostly adults. These statistics translated to a .0038 percent mortality rate.

In 2006, routine chickenpox vaccinations were recommended for anyone who are not immune via previous exposure to the virus. Current immunizations last a few years and are typically given twice. The vaccine is about 85 percent effective at preventing infections. Those who do develop chickenpox after being vaccinated usually experience a very mild case with fewer symptoms.

Arguments against the vaccine include the assertion that childhood exposure to the chickenpox virus is thought to prevent shingles, a related skin disease. Adults who were infected with chickenpox during childhood are less likely to develop shingles later in life if they are occasionally exposed to the virus. It is thought that the additional exposure acts as a booster vaccine.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, people who are allergic to gelatin, pregnant women, those infected with HIV or a history of cancer should not be vaccinated. Additionally, women should not get pregnant within one month of receiving the vaccine. More information is available from the Centers for Disease Control: