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Canadian Journal of Public Health = Revue Canadienne de Santé Publique logoLink to Canadian Journal of Public Health = Revue Canadienne de Santé Publique
. 2008 Jan 1;99(1):41–45. doi: 10.1007/BF03403739

Health Disparities in Chickenpox or Shingles in Alberta?

M L Russell 19,✉, D P Schopflocher 19,29,39, L W Svenson 19,29,39
PMCID: PMC6975918  PMID: 18435390

Abstract

Objective

Exploring for evidence of socio-economic health disparities in chickenpox and shingles in Alberta, Canada.

Methods

Chickenpox and shingles cases were identified from administrative data from Alberta’s universal health care insurance system for 1994–2002. Incident cases were those with the earliest dated utilization of a health service (chickenpox: ICD9-CM 052/ ICD10-CA B01; shingles: ICD9-CM 053/ ICD10-CA B02). Crude and age-specific rates were estimated for each year by an indicator of socio-demographic status based upon the nature of the payer and eligibility for health care premium subsidy (SES-proxy) for the provincial health care insurance system.

Results

Among young children there is a gradient of disparity in chickenpox rates prior to the year in which publicly funded vaccination programs were implemented. After this point, disparities decline but less so for First Nations children than for others. There was no evidence of disparity by SES-proxy for shingles.

Conclusion

Publicly funded vaccination programs may effectively contribute to reduction in disease disparities for vaccine-preventable diseases. Further study is required to ascertain why disparities continue for First Nations children.

Keywords: Herpes zoster, chickenpox, Canada, population surveillance, social class, income, Indians, North American

Footnotes

Acknowledgement: Funding was provided through an unconditional grant from Merck Frosst Canada Ltd. The funding source had no role in study design; collection, analysis or interpretation of data; writing of the report; nor decision to submit the paper for publication

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