Impact of the routine varicella vaccination programme on varicella epidemiology in Germany

Routine varicella vaccination with one dose for children of 11 to 14 months was recommended in Germany in 2004 to reduce disease incidence and severe complications. A country-wide varicella sentinel surveillance system was initiated in 2005 to detect trends of disease frequency and vaccine uptake and to evaluate the vaccination programme. A convenient sample of about 1,000 paediatricians and general practitioners was recruited to report on a...