Background: Population-based estimates of hospitalization rates for varicella provide data of the severe and costly end of this disease.
Objective: To estimate the annual burden of hospitalization due to primary varicella in the 17 Autonomous Regions of Spain.
Methods: Data were obtained from the national surveillance system for hospital data and comprises all hospital discharges for varicella reported during the 1995–2000 period.
Results: The overall incidence of hospitalizations was 2.7 per 100,000 persons per year (ranging from 3.2 in Navarra to 1.5 in the Canary Islands). Forty-eight deaths were reported during the period. Each year varicella was responsible for 3017 days of hospitalization in persons ≤ 10 years of age and 3333days in persons > 10 years of age. The annual cost of these hospitalizations was 1.2 million and more than 500.000 euros for persons ≤ 10 years and > 10 years of age, respectively.
Conclusion: Varicella is associated to a severe morbidity in children, adolescents and adults in Spain. The burden of varicella is likely to be potentially reduced by effective immunization programs.