This Monday I saw this article in Dinamani Tamil daily on few incidents of Chickenpox in Chennai and around. One of my co-workers got infected a few weeks back. Though I have been vaccinated against it in Childhood, when I checked my family doctor he recommended me for taking a booster injection. Though there is a strong religious disbelief about this disease in South India, scientifically it is caused by Varicella-Zoster Virus. If you have been infected once by the disease, or have been vaccinated you will not get it again.
When I went to my doctor on Monday, he decided to administer first a Combo vaccination against Hepatitis-A and Hepatitis-B. Earlier you needed two separate injections for Hepatitis A and B, now the single dose cost Rs.1200 or so in private clinics. Before you jump to conclusions on why my doctor recommended me to take it – I will say it myself, the disease is commonly caused in developing countries through contaminated food/water and affects the liver. For effectiveness, you need a booster every 3 to 4 years once.
Since you cannot take ChickenPox vaccination also on the same day, my doctor administered that (Okavax) vaccination on Wednesday. This cost Rs.1400.
So if you are in this part of the world, and can afford the vaccinations, it is highly recommended to take them.