A new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) study shows that fewer children than ever are getting sick with chickenpox. The disease results in itchy sores and is highly contagious. Until 10 years ago, nearly every kid had to suffer through the disease. In rare cases, it can be fatal.
Before 1995, when scientists introduced the chickenpox vaccine, millions of kids would get the disease every year. Now 43 states require children to be vaccinated before they start day care or school.
The vaccine has been especially successful in kids between the ages of 1 and 4. "It's really a very dramatic success story for the vaccination program," says Jane F. Seward, M.D., a researcher for the CDC.