Would you vaccinate against chickenpox?

[DieAntword]

The aeroplane thread made me think about this and I was reading about it. So they don’t think that people immune via vaccination will get shingles (or significantly more rarely than full chicken pox cases). Is this a no brainer then? Kids won’t get sick and they won’t get shingles later either? The only reason it’s not on the nhs is to stop adults who had full chickenpox as children getting shingles due to exposure? Is it ethical to use kids as a viral vector that way 🤔?

Apart from it costing money is there any reason not to do it?

I didn't vaccinate and my kids had it age 3 (dd) and age 6 months (ds). Ds went on to get childhood shingles age 3

DH and I just had the same conversation. Not whether just just more really should get it done. I still have memories of having CP as a child, so anything that can spare him or reduce the discomfort seems a win to me.
We planned to do it earlier this year for DS but only put it off as i was adivsed not to have it done since i was pregnant.
Considering there is now whooping cough at his school, am sure chicken pox is bound to follow.

I had both my children vaccinated against chicken pox. We live overseas and it’s the norm

*Whether we should,
Not just just

Blummimg phone...

Yes I have. I come from a country where it’s the norm to do so, so I had no hesitation in doing it for DC.

I wish the nhs offered it as a routine vaccination. I can't remember if I've had it..maybe as a child but not sure? I was really worried when I was pregnant with dc2 that dc1 would catch it at nursery and give it to me. As it stands, my dc are 7 and 10 and neither has had it. I don't want them getting it when they're adults.

Had ds vaccinated (in UK) had to pay privately. There is also a vaccine for shingles now I believe.

I read recently that some studies have suggested that the vaccine loses its effectiveness after more than ten years. Therefore children who are vaccinated become adults who are not protected. As with many childhood illnesses, the illness can be more severe in adulthood. Therefore the issue with the vaccine is that it could lead to more severe cases in later life.

I’m in the U.K. and paid for my children to have it privately.

I was under the impression that the risk of shingles marginally increased with the vaccine but there is also a vaccine for shingles...

My son seems to be the only one in his friendship group who hasn’t had it. He is nearly 6. I’ve decided that if he doesn’t catch it this year we are vaccinating him for it as it worries me he won’t catch it at all and then get it really badly.

I had the vaccination last year and was told I could now get shingles. The shingles jab is an extra one iirc

@Fitzsimmons the length of its effectiveness is not known. Measles and mumps vaccines are not lifelong either (something like 15/20 year) but it is very very rare to hear of an adult catching a illness they have been vaccinated against as a child.

You only get the shingles jab if you are elderly (70ish)

Yes. If you can afford it, get it. I’ve spoken with infectious disease experts and they recommend it. They see one child per year die from chickenpox complications. This is in one of the major children’s hospitals in Dublin. It will be a much larger number in the UK due to a much larger population. One child per year is one too many. Complications can be severe on the odd occasion too according to them. I think sepsis is one possibility.

I've had both mine vaccinated; it worked out cheaper than 1-2 weeks of nursery costs (which I would have had to pay for but been unable to use). Plus my employment (NHS) isn't flexible for absence looking after sick children & no family nearby. And both DC were premature, so I wanted to protect them.

@dementedpixie you can get it on the NHS if you are immune suppressed etc or else you can get it privately at any age.

I had chicken pox as a child. I had them all over, as usual, but also all in my mouth and down my throat. I have numerous facial scars from them too. I was so ill, I seem to have spent a great deal of my younger years very ill. I would have vaccinated my kids in a heartbeat to save them from even half of my chicken pox.

I paid privately for my two DDs to get vaccinated, apart from obviously wanting to spare them the discomfort of having it I also can't take time off work and id potentially have to miss a few weeks if one got it and then passes it to the other

DD was vaccinated. She was one of 2 out of 24 kids at pre school who didn't get it last spring. Some v v seriously.

DS had CP 3 times and ended up being v v poorly and eldest DD had shingles v badly after we thought, missing out on CP completely. Turned out she'd had such a mild case we didn't even know. The shingles were pretty awful for a teenage girl to cope with though and she had quite a few post viral complications.

I have no idea why, if you can afford it, you wouldn't get it done to protect your child from something which can be at best uncomfortable at worst deadly.

Turned out she'd had such a mild case we didn't even know

This is interesting. I often wonder if my eldest dc (10) has perhaps had it in a mild way and I haven't noticed. He has been exposed numerous times to cp but never seemed to have had it

What I was reading is that shingles is much less common in vaccinated adults than those who contract the wild virus, the concern is that children with chickenpox expose adults to the virus and keep their immunity up so their latent virus (from a previous chickenpox infection) stays suppressed. Widespread vaccination in the US has resulted in increased numbers of shingles cases in middle aged people who had chickenpox before the vaccination program.

The NHS were adding it to the vaccination program but then anti vaxxers stormed in & they wanted to keep numbers up without more scaremongering.
Now they won’t ever have the funds to add it.

The whole reason we don’t know how long it lasts is the fact the oldest vaccinated person is around 20.

I was going to vaccinate DC when they caught it. It was awful but I’m so glad they didn’t get any complications.

If you have the funds do it.

DS2 is vaccinated. For the sake of £135 get it done.

MW and GP told me the only reason it's not on the NHS list of vaccinations is cost.

Our kids were immunised for it on the NHS because I am immunosuppressed & have no immunity to CP. Them catching it would put me at risk and I wouldn't be able to look after them or even live with them whilst they were ill so a no brained for us plus they won't have to suffer a nasty illness.

I looked into vaccinating our two children but upon realising we wouldn’t get much change out of £400, we couldn’t do it.

DC1 eventually caught it in Reception and wasn’t too unwell. DC2 came out in spots a fortnight later and was absolutely smothered from scalp to toes. He was so ill and has numerous scars. At that point I wished we’d done it.