Evaluation of the Safety of Varivax® in Pediatric Renal Transplant Recipients

The purpose of this study is to find out whether Varivax is safe for use in children with kidney transplants and whether it protects children from serious infection. Varivax is a vaccine against varicella zoster virus (VZV), the virus that causes chickenpox (varicella) and shingles (zoster). Healthy children are already receiving Varivax shots to protect them from chickenpox. Few children with kidney transplants have received Varivax because doctors have been concerned that Varivax might cause serious reactions in them. On the other hand, VZV infection can be a life-threatening disease in these children. For this reason, doctors ultimately want to learn whether Varivax might safely prevent VZV infections in children who have had kidney transplants.