News in brief - Dec. 5, 2011

Varicella vaccination still helps infants too young to be immunized - Harassing text messages on the rise among youths

Varicella vaccination still helps infants too young to be immunized

Although infants are too young to receive the varicella vaccine, they have benefited from the immunization, which is recommended for children 12 months and older, according to a study published online Nov. 28 in Pediatrics.

Researchers tracked cases of varicella in infants younger than 12 months who live in the Los Angeles area and in west Philadelphia from 1995 through 2008. They found that varicella incidence among this age group declined 89.7% during the studied period. In 1995, there were 15.6 cases of chickenpox per 1,000 infants, compared with 1.6 cases per 1,000 infants in 2008. The reduction in infant varicella cases comes as vaccination against the disease increased in both study sites (pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/early/2011/11/22/peds.2011-0017).

Researchers say the findings highlight the indirect benefits of the varicella vaccine in protecting infants who are too young to be immunized, by lowering their risk of exposure to the disease. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that children receive their first dose of varicella vaccine at 12 months through 15 months. The second dose should be administered between ages 4 and 6, the CDC says.

Harassing text messages on the rise among youths

Youths' exposure to online bullying and violent websites has leveled off since 2006, but harassment through text messaging is on the rise, according to a study published online Nov. 21 in Pediatrics.

Researchers surveyed 1,588 youths ages 10 to 15 in 2006 and issued follow-up surveys in 2007 and 2008. Participants were asked about their exposure to violent websites. They also were asked whether they ever were the perpetrator or victim of bullying, harassment or unwanted sexual solicitation online or through text messages.

Researchers found an uptick in violent experiences through text messaging, including harassment, during the study period. In 2007, 0.8% of youths reported being harassed through a text message one or two times a month compared with 3.2% of participants in 2008. Data were not available for 2006 (www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22106074).