Is a 5-year-old patient up to date on their varicella vaccination, given two doses administered on specific dates?

Varicella Vaccination Status Assessment

Yes, a 5-year-old child who has received two doses of varicella vaccine is up to date with their varicella immunization, provided the doses were administered with appropriate timing intervals. 1

Verification of Up-to-Date Status

To confirm this child is truly up to date, verify the following timing requirements were met:

• Minimum interval between doses: The two doses must have been separated by at least 3 months for children aged 12 months through 12 years 1
• Acceptable early administration: If the second dose was inadvertently given between 28 days and 3 months after the first dose, it still counts as valid and does not need to be repeated 1
• First dose timing: The initial dose should have been administered at or after 12 months of age 1

Standard Two-Dose Schedule

The recommended varicella vaccination schedule that this child has completed includes:

• First dose: Routinely given at 12-15 months of age 1
• Second dose: Routinely recommended at 4-6 years of age (before entering prekindergarten, kindergarten, or first grade) 1
• Early second dose option: The second dose may be administered earlier than 4-6 years, as long as the 3-month minimum interval is maintained 1

Protection Achieved with Two Doses

This child now has optimal protection against varicella:

• Vaccine efficacy: Two doses provide 98% protection against varicella of any severity, compared to only 94% with a single dose 1
• Breakthrough disease risk: Recipients of 2 doses are 3.3-fold less likely to develop breakthrough varicella compared to those who received only 1 dose 1
• Antibody levels: After two doses, >99% of children achieve protective antibody levels against varicella, compared to 76-85% after a single dose 1

School Entry Compliance

This 5-year-old meets school entry requirements:

• CDC requirement: All children entering school should have received two doses of varicella-containing vaccine or have other evidence of immunity 1
• Documentation: Ensure written documentation of both vaccination dates is available for school records 2

Common Pitfall to Avoid

Do not confuse the minimum interval (28 days) with the recommended interval (3 months) - while doses given 28 days apart are technically valid and don't require repeating, the 3-month interval is preferred for optimal immunogenicity in children under 13 years 1