수두 예방접종: 세계적인 현황과 우리나라 접종 스케줄에 대한 제안

Varicella Vaccination: Worldwide Status and Provisional Updated Recommendation in Korea

Varicella is a highly infectious disease caused by the varicella zoster virus. The varicella vaccine was developed by Michiaki Takahashi in Japan in 1974. Despite the worldwide distribution of efficient vaccines, varicella vaccination policy is extremely variable from country to country. Although varicella vaccine is not currently recommended for universal vaccination in Japan, most countries throughout Europe, and developing countries, it had been introduced into Korea in 1988 and 20 years have elapsed since its use. Currently, varicella vaccine has been most extensively used in the United States where routine 2-dose vaccination program has been recently implemented for children. Recent 2-dose schedule in the United States and the availability of combination measles-rubella-varicella vaccines may lead to future varicella vaccination policy changes in many countries. With this background, this article summarizes the current status of varicella vaccination policies worldwide and presents provisional updated recommendation of varicella vaccination in Korea.