As for safety, here also the vaccine does not seem to pose valid concerns in the normal, healthy child . The question of future susceptibility to shingles has been posed, but studies to date has not shown any indication of this hazard. And the other reactions from the shot are the usual mild ones, and occasionally a mild chickenpox-like illness. Little kids need only one dose, teens two. Also, consider that the older the patient the more severe the infection tends to be.
Several states are in the process of making it a requirement for school entry.