Varicella-related deaths--Florida, 1998

During 1998, the Florida Department of Health (FDH) reported to CDC six fatal cases of varicella (chickenpox). FDH investigated all death certificates for 1998 with any mention of varicella as a contributory or underlying cause. Eight deaths were identified; two were reclassified as disseminated herpes zoster and six were related to varicella, for an annual varicella death rate of 0.4 deaths per million population. Two deaths occurred in children and four in adults; none had received varicella vaccine. The infection source was identified for three cases; two adults acquired varicella from children in the home, and one child acquired varicella from a classmate. One infection source was known to be unvaccinated; the other two were presumed to be unvaccinated. This report summarizes these varicella deaths and recommends prevention strategies.