Why are children in this country not vaccinated against chicken pox

[Lardlizard]

?

Something about increase in shingles in older people?

Quite simply because the immunity can wear off by the time you are older and if you catch it then it's much, much worse. Its also a harmless childhood virus in most cases. It's also not 100%.

I consulted my GP and he advised against because they don't know how long the vaccine is effective for and worry that it will wear off and people will be vulnerable when they are older. Still wish I'd given it to DC though as it's really unpleasant.

I seem to remember that the vaccine doesn’t protect in teens and that CP is generally more severe in teens older people. DD has it because we were living abroad.

I had chicken pox as a toddler and again (very poorly) as a teen. I have had shingles several times as an adult.

Could have remembered it wrong though.

Trying to decide if I should privately vaccinate

It kills something like 6 children a year in the uk. (Last time I looked at the stats anyway).

The cost vs mortality doesn't stack up, I'm afraid.

If your DC do get chickenpox, keep their skin as cool as possible- either exposed to air or just clothed in thin cotton.
It limits the number and severity of the vesicles they develop, so they’ll be less itchy and miserable and have less risk of scarring and pock marks. It’s usually much milder in kids than adults in any case, and most (though not all) people develop life long immunity.
There is a shingles vaccine for older people, to prevent their dormant chickenpox infection in their spine erupting along a nerve and causing severe pain and blistering in the corresponding dermatome.

Cost.

The NHS is planning to add it to the childhood vaccination schedule though, from 2021 if I recall correctly.

DSis is a paediatrician, I asked her if I should vaccinate DS, she said yes, definitely so we vaccinated him at 13 months. CP recently went round his nursery but he didn't get it.

It's due to cost. Australia, New Zealand and the USA all include it on their vaccination schedule. I did it and I'm glad I did, it goes around the nursery frequently and can be nasty. Also my friend had to take 2 weeks unpaid leave when her daughter had it which was a real financial strain.

I know more and more people getting it done privately as it is cheaper than taking 1-2 weeks off work with a sick child.

I think the NHS will give it if there is someone immune compromised in close contact with the child.

It doesn't kill 6 children a year...what a strange thing to say.

It's an expensive vaccine and no way the NHS could fund it, for a non-life threatening disease.

If you can afford it, it is worth it though because if you don't have chicken pox you won't ever get shingles either....however it is worrying that immunity could wear off so worth investigating.

Btw OP didn't make the statement about killing 6 children a year, it was a PP

we have it in Australia, given at 18mths.
DD2 caught it aged 12months.

Apparently the vaccine makes any dose of the actual disease milder. Hopefully DD2 has great immunity as catching CP is better for future outbreaks than the vaccine.

You can still get shingles if you have the vaccine. I thought one of the hesitations over it was that studies have shown children are more likely to have shingles if they've had the vaccine than the illness.

I didn't think it was because the vaccinated get shingles later in life but that children getting chicken pox prevents older unvaccinated people getting shingles...

From the NHS website:

There's a worry that introducing chickenpox vaccination for all children could increase the risk of chickenpox and shingles in adults.

While chickenpox during childhood is unpleasant, the vast majority of children recover quickly and easily. In adults, chickenpox is more severe and the risk of complications increases with age.

If a childhood chickenpox vaccination programme was introduced, people would not catch chickenpox as children because the infection would no longer circulate in areas where the majority of children had been vaccinated.

This would leave unvaccinated children susceptible to contracting chickenpox as adults, when they are more likely to develop a more severe infection or a secondary complication, or in pregnancy, when there is a risk of the infection harming the baby.

We could also see a significant increase in cases of shingles in adults. Being exposed to chickenpox as an adult – for example, through contact with infected children – boosts your immunity to shingles.

If you vaccinate children against chickenpox, you lose this natural boosting, so immunity in adults will drop and more shingles cases will occur.

I've vaccinated DS privately, and will get him a booster vaccine at 18 if necessary. For us it is well worth the cost, compared to potential time off work if he caught CP and had it badly.

I had my children vaccinated. I asked drs and they all said if you're willing to pay for it then yes you should do it. CP can be very serious and I know of 2 children hospitalised with CP related complications/issues. As others say, the reason it's not offered on the NHS is cost.

Can't the NHS look at US, Australia etc and see if shingles rates are on the rise in adults? The vaccine has been around for more than 20 years at this point.

We're in a country where it's on the vaccine schedule so mine have gotten it. However they attend an international school and there are always a few children who have moved from the UK who get it each year.

If a childhood chickenpox vaccination programme was introduced, people would not catch chickenpox as children because the infection would no longer circulate in areas where the majority of children had been vaccinated.
But surely this would no longer be a problem if we reached herd immunity, as with many other vaccines? Why does the NHS not aim for herd immunity by vaccinating all children?

It does kill people every year in the uk but we don’t count them very well. It used to kill about 50 a year in the USA (measured by cdc) before they brought in vaccinations so likely a proportional number in uk. Chicken pox is usually a mild disease in children (like measles mumps, etc) but can be very serious and can be fatal in both healthy children and adults.

It seems to be cost as the rationale for the NHS not vaccinating. The official reason is that chicken pox circulating reduces outbreaks of shingles, but if that’s true it’s pretty awful as a justification given that children and adults can die from chicken pox. The current vaccine is given in 2 stages to stop it wearing off (no evidence it does so) and the answer to vaccines being less effective over time is a booster not to leave millions unvaccinated.

So in short, I would definitely vaccinate privately. Save time off work,pain for your child and potentially serious consequences.

So it’s not a good idea to vaccinate children because they’ll still get it when they’re older and it will be more severe? Is the attitude that it’s best to get it over with? I’m not concerned about the disease but very worried about scarring. DH has awful scars on his face from chicken pox.

BestBeforeYesterday because anti vaxxers exist

The NHS isn't funding support for young people with MH needs, it's hardly likely to jntroduce chicken pox vaccine for babies because it might be beneficial. Not when it's funding gastric bands and writing 150 page e&d statements!

@BestBeforeYesterday immunisation rates in the UK rarely meet the targets for herd immunity and it's a constant struggle to keep uptake rates high. And that's for evidence based programmes!
Remember the unease around the men B immunisation when that was introduced, I still know plenty of mums who opt out of certain vaccines (MMR and men B the most common, as well as HPV)
The evidence for CP vaccine is not cost effective and likely to produce other complications in the rest of the population - as stated on the NHS website

Chicken pox is more severe if it comes into your home a second time, ie catching from a sibling. I don't know if this is universal but deck what I've heard and chimes with my own experience.

The first one of mine to get it had three itchy spots and a day's fever but rules said he needed a week off school. He loved it.

The other two caught it from him and it was awful. In their mouths, on willies, up bums. And they were proper poorly.

I suddenly saw why people infect kids on purpose. I had avoided this as didn't want to invite trouble. Go to a chicken pox party with all your kids at the first available opportunity!