Varicella-related deaths among children--United States, 1997

During the first quarter of 1998, the Texas Department of Health and the Iowa Department of Public Health notified CDC of three fatal cases of varicella (chickenpox) that occurred in children during 1997. All three children were unvaccinated. Two children contracted chickenpox from unvaccinated siblings, and the mode of exposure was unknown for the third. This report summarizes these cases and indicates that varicella-related deaths continue to occur among children in the United States despite the availability of vaccine and recommendations for its use in all susceptible children.