Clinical Epidemiology of Chickenpox in Iraq, 2007-2011 | Chapter 04 | Innovations in Medicine and Medical Research Vol. 1
Chickenpox (Varicella zoster) infection is an acute disease caused by varicella zoster virus (VZV). In endemic areas, primary infection tends to occur at a younger age. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommended that routine childhood varicella vaccination should be considered in countries where the disease is a relatively important public health and socioeconomic problem, and where high (85 to 90%) and sustained vaccine coverage can be achieved. Aim: 1- To describe the epidemiology (occurrence, age, gender and season) of registered clinical cases of chickenpox in Iraq from 2007-2011, 2- To determine the need for the use of chickenpox vaccine in Iraq. Methods: A retrospective descriptive analysis of surveillance data. Frequency and percentage were used to describe the data. The occurrence per 100,000 of Iraqi population was calculated. Chi square test was used. Results: There was an obvious rise in the registration of clinical chickenpox cases from 21,798 case in...