In a message dated 98-09-24 22:49:44 EDT, Rob C. writes: << As to the chicken pox I cant see any reason to get the disease. Along with approx 900 children hospitalized a year in the US there are 50 deaths, thats one a week from chicken pox. >> Moreover, I had heard from my pedi that in her practice -- in a neighborhood where a lot of kids are getting varivax -- the cases of chicken pox she has seen in the last year have been more severe than before there was so much vaccination; and this month she told me that she has lately seen that intuition confirmed in the literature. (I didn't ask her for a cite but could if anyone wanted one.) So we have changed our minds and decided to vaccinate our kids after all. Just fyi -- (are others seeing this as well, or have read this?) Elisheva Urbas NYC