The chickenpox vaccine can also "dramatically" lower the risk of shingles in children, according to a 12-year study published in Pediatrics.
For the study, researchers examined EHR data for nearly 6.4 million U.S. children to analyze shingles rates between 2003 and 2014.
They found children who received the chickenpox vaccine had a 78 percent lower rate of shingles than unvaccinated children. Over the 12-year period, the rate of shingles dropped 72 percent among all children. Researchers said this decrease was likely due to herd immunity caused by an increase in the number of vaccinated children, according to STAT.
The study reinforces the benefits of routine chickenpox vaccination to also prevent pediatric shingles, the researchers concluded.