What Is Chickenpox And How Can I Get My Child Vaccinated?

Young children successful England, Wales and Northern Ireland will soon beryllium offered a free chickenpox vaccine connected nan NHS.

It will beryllium added to nan database of modular puerility vaccinations from January 2026, and location will beryllium a catch-up programme for older children.

Scotland is besides expected to connection nan vaccine connected nan NHS, but has not fixed a day yet.

• Children to beryllium offered chickenpox vaccine connected NHS

Chickenpox is a highly contagious illness caused by nan varicella zoster microorganism (VZV).

The microorganism is transmitted done nonstop interaction betwixt people, aliases done airborne droplets successful coughs and sneezes.

It is very easy to catch, particularly if you've ne'er had it before.

While it mostly affects children - astir half person had it by their 4th day - group of immoderate property tin get it.

The first symptoms see a fever, musculus aches and pains and mostly emotion unwell.

A mates of days later, an itchy, spotty rash appears.

These reddish aliases pinkish dots tin look anyplace connected nan body, including wrong nan mouth.

Some children mightiness person only a fewer spots, but others tin beryllium covered from caput to toe.

The spots capable up pinch fluid and go blisters earlier crusting complete to shape scabs, which yet driblet disconnected and clear up.

You are contagious and tin dispersed chickenpox to different group from 2 days earlier nan first spots create until they person each formed scabs, which is usually 5 days aft they first appear.

Most cases successful children are mild, though they will consciousness unwell and will request to miss schoolhouse aliases nursery for respective days.

Some children will spell connected to create complications.

In uncommon cases chickenhearted pox tin origin a swelling of nan brain, called encephalitis; an inflammation of nan lungs, called pneumonitis; and stroke, which tin consequence successful hospitalisation and - very seldom - death.

Chickenpox is often much superior successful very young infants and adults.

It tin beryllium vulnerable successful pregnancy, causing complications successful some nan mother and nan baby.

You tin already get nan chickenpox vaccine privately successful nan UK, astatine a costs of up to £200.

But experts opportunity adding nan varicella vaccine to nan charismatic NHS puerility immunisation programme will dramatically trim nan number of group who drawback chickenpox, starring to acold less superior cases.

The vaccine doesn't guarantee life immunity, but it does greatly trim nan consequence of personification processing chickenpox aliases having a bad case.

Serious broadside effects, specified arsenic a terrible allergic reaction, are very rare.

From January 2026, children will beryllium automatically offered 2 doses astatine 12 and 18 months of age.

They will get nan mixed MMRV vaccine, which protects against measles, mumps, rubella and varicella.

It is simply a unrecorded vaccine which intends it contains a weakened type of nan chickenpox virus. As such, it is not recommended for those pinch a compromised immune strategy because of an unwellness for illustration HIV aliases arsenic a consequence of curen specified arsenic chemotherapy.

The move will bring nan UK into statement pinch different countries which already connection regular varicella vaccination, including Germany, Canada, Australia and nan US.

It had antecedently been thought that vaccinating children against chickenpox would origin a problematic emergence successful shingles, but a caller semipermanent study from nan US disproved that theory.

The committee which advises nan authorities connected vaccinations - nan JCVI - recommended that each children beryllium fixed nan MMRV successful November 2023.

It besides suggested that location should beryllium a impermanent catch-up programme for somewhat older children who will conscionable miss out. Details of this are expected successful owed course.

The determination to vaccinate against chickenpox was announced arsenic caller information revealed nary of nan main puerility vaccines successful England reached nan 95% uptake target successful 2024/25.

Some 91.9% of five-year-olds had received 1 dose of nan MMR vaccine, unchanged from 2023/24 and nan lowest level since 2010/11, according to nan UK Health Security Agency.

You cannot drawback shingles. It is an highly achy condition that tin create years aft a chickenpox infection.

That is because erstwhile group get chickenpox, nan microorganism stays successful nan assemblage and tin beryllium reactivated later, which causes shingles.

This mightiness happen, for example, if your immune strategy is weakened because of stress, definite conditions, aliases treatments for illustration chemotherapy.

For many, it's a achy tegument rash - usually connected nan thorax aliases abdomen - connected 1 broadside of nan body.

Medicine (antiviral tablets) tin thief to velocity up betterment and debar longer-lasting problems.

A shingles vaccine is disposable connected nan NHS for:

• people who turned 65 connected aliases aft 1 September 2023
• people aged 70 to 79 who person not yet been vaccinated
• people aged 50+ pinch a severely weakened immune system

You tin get shingles much than once, truthful it's important to get vaccinated moreover if you've had shingles before.

If you get shingles aft being vaccinated, nan symptoms tin beryllium overmuch milder.