To ask for opinions on varicella vaccine vs natural immunity?

Really? You're an infectious disease clinical researcher who is more comfortable with allowing your child to have an illness that could result in the misery and danger of shingles than a vaccine that might require a booster?

Get the vaccine. It will have been created based on a lot of statistical data demonstrating that it will have a benefit. If it wasn't beneficial or cost effective, it would not be on the NHS.

I want to say as the parent of two children (out of three) who have had febrile convulsions, if a child is predisposed to them, they will very likely have them with any number of routine childhood illnesses that come with a sudden high fever. Both of mine had them with sixth disease (roseola), and they are more likely to have an episode with actual chicken pox than with a vaccine. It's also worth pointing out that while febrile seizures are very alarming for the parents, they don't cause lasting harm.

@Moopp
Since the first large cohort of children to have had varicella vaccines in the US are now in their early thirties, you will know if a booster is necessary long before your DCs reach the age where that might be an issue.

The vaccine has only been a thing on the NHS for about a month. One of my GC has it on the first day it was given Apparently due to ages staggering should've been later but they were having the rest don'e so nurse agreed to do it at same time

I paid for all of my children to have the vaccine privately a few years ago. When my daughter becomes 18 I'll ask her to do an immunity test to make sure she's still immune - if not, I'll recommend a booster.

I would go for the vaccine personally, but that's based on my first child being off school for about 2 weeks with it, and my DD2 hospitalised with it aged 3 due to sepsis from an infected pox spot (and very healthy normally).
I think the chances of catching it again in adulthood would be slim, and if someone has been vaccinated previously then in theory they probably would get a milder case than if they hadn't been vaccinated or naturally infected as a child at all?

It might seem a bit silly for those who survived to adulthood without dying or suffering serious consequences from something which is now completely unnecessary. This is survivor bias - those who did die aren’t here to tell their tale. A bit like when my grandparents thought it was daft that my parents insisted on baby car seats. They’d had lots of kid who were all just fine in a Moses basket and normal seat belt.

Just get them a booster if you're concerned about waning immunity! DH had the vax at the same time as DD as he'd never had it. I had a catch up MMR after an immunity test showed I wasn't immune to rubella (I think I was one of the early cohorts for MMR and only got one dose, though I've since heard a few stories of repeated vaccination with no immunity, back in the day when the NHS used to routinely screen for it).

I always meant to vaccinate my eldest and then she caught chicken pox. What a miserable week that was for her, I was terrified her skin would scar as she had some huge spots.

I wish I could have prevented that by getting her vaccinated and I didn’t hesitate to get my second child vaccinated, even though it was quite expensive.

If you have the opportunity to get your child vaccinated, I personally world. Why would you inflict an illness on a child when we have something to prevent them being poorly, avoid scarring and the
(admittedly very small) chance of serious complications.

I’ll be keeping an eye on long term immunity, I believe they’ll introduce a booster in the future if needed.

My understanding is that you can only contract shingles if you'd had chickenpox. The virus remains in your body to re-emerge as shingles.

My middle child had chickenpox as a 5 month old baby. He was really poorly and I was determined to get my youngest vaccinated. He contracted it before I had the chance but, thankfully, it was quite mild.

I would imagine with the vaccine that there will be boosters available, particularly for women. I'd definitely not be attending any chickenpox parties.

What made you decide against getting the vaccine in childhood and then getting a booster vaccine in early adulthood?

Here's the JCVI advice recommending the varicella programme, with various references: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/childhood-varicella-vaccination-programme-jcvi-advice-14-november-2023/jcvi-statement-on-a-childhood-varicella-chickenpox-vaccination-programme

I would think that they thought about the overall benefit in terms of years of immunity granted by the vaccine, what happens to adults, the impact of the natural experiment we've already had where unvaccinated people get "natural" Immunity through catching varicella etc etc...I'm not sure why you are trying to replicate the decades of expert experience that the JCVI members have, and trying to second guess things you think they might not have considered, when I assume you don't have anywhere near the academic training. How can amateur reading-up get anywhere near the scientific rigour that that committee has?

There are 19 core members of JCVI, so I'm pretty certain they will have already discussed all possible pros and cons of introducing this vaccine and the impact on individuals...www.gov.uk/government/groups/joint-committee-on-vaccination-and-immunisation

I had the vaccination in my 40s as hadn’t had CP as a child. DS has been vaccinated too aged 18m or so.
horrible disease - it can blind you if spots go into your eyes. I’ve no idea why people wouldn’t vaccinate their children from it - especially now it will be available on the NHS. It’s also not that costly privately either.

I wish the vaccine was available when mine were young. They caught it and then I caught it from them possibly causing miscarriage.

I was born in a country where they did go for the chickenpox vaccine.
I was vaccinated, like all children. I got chickenpox, like all children. But it was not huge, only high frver for a short timr and the lessions.
It has been determined, with the data so far, that vaccinated populations suffer much less with shingles in older age. It is not so much to protect you as a child, though it eases your suffering, but to protect you from the nastiness of shingles.
I think UK is vaccinating older people now.
They thought it would work differently from what it has actually done.
And UK is now joining the club of countries that do vaccinate children. Well, babies.

Now that we are talking of chickenpox: do not give ibuprofen to a child with chickenpox or suspected chickenpox. It can have severe effects for them. Pharmacist will tell you at the time, but it is another important piece of info for parents! Paracetamol is ok for chickenpox.

You have to do what you’re comfortable with. I’m a clinical researcher. I work in infectious diseases. I’m very pro-vax. My dc did not get the chickenpox vaccine. I’m not convinced by the data I’ve seen that it offers lifelong immunity. I was willing to take the very small risk of a serious infection as a child over the much greater risk of serious complications as an adult, especially for women of reproductive age. I’m comfortable with that decision.

Yes, DH and I only realised when waves of CP were going around DS’s class and a couple of neighbours were very ill, one hospitalised with ulceration, that neither of us had had it as children. When DS didn’t catch it then, we all paid for the vaccine.

Isn’t it mean to put your child through a painful and uncomfortable illness that means they miss nursery when there is a pain free alternative?

I paid for the vaccine for my son two years ago, because I didn’t want him to get a nasty illness and be sore and I can’t cope with two weeks off work. The decision was cemented when he got hand foot and mouth which was an awful worry of him not eating or sleeping much, so I knew chicken pox would get even worse. I didn’t know it only lasts up to twenty years but I’ll pay for him to have another vaccine then if he needs it.
fyi it doesn’t actually stop them catching chicken pox it just stops them getting ill with it. My friend has one child vaccinated and not the other (pandemic times) and when chicken pox his the household the vaccinated child got just one pox. So technically was infected but no illness at all. So I guess he’ll have life immunity now?

I think for most people a chickenpox vaccine is a bit silly myself, i understand for really sickly children like preemies or chronic health conditions, but for most kids surely its a rite of passage?

All my four kids have had chickenpox and were completely fine, hell back when i was a kid parents would do chickenpox parties so we'd all get it done and dusted with

My friend remembers having thr pox inside her vagina as a child and how awful that was.

Ive had shingles and the nerves sometimes go funny again when i am ill. Shingles is a definite Would Not Recommend.

I vaxxed both of mine as one is ND and wouldn't cope with thr itching, also part of thr reason it wasnt given was children with CP help older adults reduce their risk of shingles, so my priority is my kids, not helping other people not get shingles

Not 2 times higher

Read the jcvi statement - very helpful. Always less risk with vaccine than virus and it is long lasting. At our neurology mdt there have been three healthy children with stroke secondary to chicken pox since Christmas. I paid for my two to be vaccinated when they were little. Worth every penny.

Then they have a booster jab as an adult!

My child had horrific chickenpox. And having chickenpox doesn't give you "lifelong" immunity either.

I would have had the innoculation if it had been available at the time.