Baby’s Stroke Is a Scary Reminder of Why the Chickenpox Vaccine Is Important

A lot of parents—even those who regularly vaccinate their kids—decide to skip the chickenpox vaccine, thinking it’s a minor illness that most kids will get through quickly and then build up their own immunity. And while chickenpox is usually a mild disease, being exposed to it, especially as an infant, can sometimes have devastating effects.

Case in point: An 11-month-old recently suffered a stroke after being exposed to chickenpox by his older siblings, reports the Journal of Pediatrics.

He developed weakness on his right side, which his mother noticed when she woke him from his afternoon nap, and doctors diagnosed “a left middle cerebral artery stroke and irregularities in the middle cerebral artery.” They determined the baby had been infected with chickenpox two to three months earlier, when his siblings had it. They had not been vaccinated.

The baby was treated and sent home after 10 days, the report states, but follow-up imaging showed progressive arterial disease.

Tina Tan, MD, a professor of pediatrics at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine and a pediatric infectious disease specialist at the Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital, told Today, “Everyone thinks it’s a minor illness.” But she points out that there are a number of serious complications that can come with chickenpox, and while it’s still rare, a stroke is one of them.

“Basically, the chickenpox virus infects the large blood vessels in the brain and causes inflammation in them,” Tan explained. “The blood vessels can scar and that can decrease blood supply to the brain, which can lead to stroke.”

Chickenpox complications can also include dehydration, pneumonia and bacterial infections of the skin, soft tissues, bones, joints and bloodstream. Babies whose mothers never had chickenpox or the vaccine are at particular risk.

The best way to prevent chickenpox and any related complications, experts say, is to get the vaccine. According to the AAP, the first dose should be given when baby is 12 to 15 months old, and a second dose at 4 to 6 years of age. For babies too young for the vaccine, do your best to make sure they aren’t exposed to the chickenpox, and if you have concerns, head to your pediatrician’s office.

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