To hunt down these bastards who exposed my son to chicken pox

Then you simply have to not care about catching it which is what a PP mentioned as well. If you are literally on the poverty line, then there are many things you learn not to care about and in the grand scheme of things, chicken pox is really not a big deal. However the odd thing is that OP is raging and fuming about her son catching it which clearly means it WAS important to her. Then why not just scrape together the £150 and get it done with. Especially considering his age, it was almost invariable that he would end up with a more serious case which entails more disruption for the entire family.

Again, this isn't about how many people can objectively afford or not afford the vaccine. It's about how important something is to you, and whether that importance necessitates the drive to spend money on the solution.

As another PP said, the premise being posted here is that OP's son was simply expected to go through his entire adult life unvaccinated but never catch the virus?

In the early 90s when pox parties were a thing and pox vaccine wasn't a staggering 25 people on average died from cp with 80% of those being adults so no its hardly saving thousands of lives is it

Yes, there is a potential for side effects with ANY medical intervention. There is also a real risk of harmful side effects from contracting chicken pox ‘naturally’. My friend’s dc had a stroke as a result of it - evidently the most common cause of paediatric stroke - and was hospitalised for months touch and go as to whether they would survive, and lingering uncertainty around impact longer term.

It’s only difference is in dose- the two vaccines vaccinate against the exact same virus - herpes zoster. It’s not like shingles is a different disease from chicken pox like measles is different from mumps

Well maybe parents should be respected for their choice regardless of what that is since both carry a risk and in the majority of cases chicken pox is not a big deal

The two are not alike. The serious side effects are much rarer than the serious CP complications. The CP vaccine saves the lives of children.

Nope - me neither!

DD(9) hasn’t had chicken pox (yet)

Fair enough and well done for seeking the vaccination, even if it didn’t work for your ds. Unfortunately it isn’t possible to avoid exposure, so ds was going to catch it eventually. As others say, better to catch it as a child than an adult - my father caught it from me and was very ill for a month.

I didn’t even though you could get a chicken pox vaccine wonder why it’s not advertised more?

I think people haven't had their children vaccinated in the UK because they don't know that the vaccination is available. I've never seen it advertised. I don't think it is because it is not free and we feel entitled to have all our health care for free as a pp stated.
It is dangerous for someone who is immunocompromised to be exposed to chicken pox so I would take it seriously and not take my children out when they had it but it is not usually too bad. Flu is more dangerous I think

Disagree, to knowingly have their son running around amongst other children and not let other parents know is selfish, because of this a child is going to miss out on an important part of high school.Getting chicken pox as a child, means it lays dormant in the immune system, the person is then at risk of getting shingles as an adult, which is a long term painful condition.
Chicken pox, is not the same as catching a cold.

It would take you literally 5 minutes to go on the nhs website and see its a live vaccine which can have side effects

I didn’t even know there was a vaccine for chicken pox as it’s not currently part of the routine childhood immunisation program in the UK. You don’t die from it. Not like you can from measles.

I don’t think it matters what age you are in order for it to be bad unless you are a fully grown adult.

I had it at 13 and was fine. My 2 yr old DS caught it from 3yr old DS when looking around nursery schools. DS2 had it really bad.

Do you not have Google? It's not the same vaccine at all

I don’t think you understand shingles. You don’t catch shingles, it develops from dormant chicken pox. So anyone who has had chicken pox can go on to develop shingles, but you can’t catch shingles.

I know! The idea that there was even a sodding holiday in the first place, much less just deciding to stay another day..... its terrifying that someone with so little intelligence can earn enough to assume that these things are just "what you do"!

It’s £75 per dose. That’s hardly cheap.

More serious side effects are very rare, but can include: pneumonia, infection of the brain and/or spinal cord covering, and seizures - side effects if the vaccine which are very rare. Like the rarity of being seriously ill with chicken pox.

You clearly don’t understand how vaccines work! Please stop spreading misinformation!

Different branding, different names, vaccinates against the same virus.

This comment makes no sense.

not covered due to cost vs risk at a population level- it is a safe and effective vaccine that is widely available in other countries. Personally I think it is a travesty that children in the uk are not offered it, and I think more parents should be aware that this is an option. If your attitude is ‘nature take its course’ then you can’t really be upset when your kid ultimately contracts it.

Crap timing but I'm sure he will settle into his new school. It is frustrating for your son.

What is it with all the replies about getting the kid vaccinated! So unnecessary, chicken pox is a common childhood illness, it's extremely rare to be life threatening

The elderly get a shingles vaccine which is not the same as the chicken pox vaccine

But OP did. You’re not taking a holiday if you don’t have £150 spare.