Recently we had a one-year-old with congenital heart disease and who is on chronic aspirin therapy in for a well-child check and routine vaccination. Are there any recommendations regarding varicella vaccine being given to children who are on chronic aspirin therapy?

The ACIP’s varicella vaccine recommendations state that no adverse events associated with the use of salicylates after varicella vaccination have been reported, however, the vaccine manufacturer recommends that vaccine recipients avoid using salicylates for 6 weeks after receiving varicella vaccines because of the association between aspirin use and Reye syndrome after varicella disease (chickenpox). Vaccination with subsequent close monitoring should be considered for children who have rheumatoid arthritis or other conditions requiring therapeutic aspirin. The risk for serious complications associated with aspirin is likely to be greater in children in whom natural varicella develops than it is in children who receive the vaccine containing attenuated varicella zoster virus. In other words, the benefit of varicella vaccine likely outweighs the theoretical risk of Reye syndrome. See the ACIP varicella recommendations at www.cdc.gov/mmwr/PDF/rr/rr5604.pdf, page 29.