CDC: Three-fourths vaccinated against chicken pox

ATLANTA - The government said Thursday that three-fourths of young American children received the relatively new vaccine against chicken pox last year, up from just one-fourth five years ago. <br> <br> The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said a nationwide survey found 76 percent of children 19 to 35 months old got the vaccine in 2001. The coverage rate was 26 percent in 1997, and 68 percent in 2000. <br> <br> Chicken pox is usually mild in children but can lead to pneumonia and other serious infections. The vaccine, made from live but weakened copies of the virus, was introduced in 1995. <br> <br> Before the vaccine, nearly every child contracted chicken pox. Health officials now hope to stamp it out.

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