To cancel vaccination?

[Antoniacaenis]

We have booked to get our DCs vaccinated for chicken pox tomorrow. Just doing a bit of last minute research and I'm now worried about it.

DH and I are pro vaccinations and both DCs have had all their NHS ones already. I was really ill with chicken pox as a young adult and a family member was hospitalised as a child so I was really keen to get my DCs vaccinated.

However I am now reading that the vaccine does not give protection into adulthood and might even increase the risk of adult chicken pox and shingles - which is giving me doubts.

Should I go ahead or call and cancel the appointment.

"However I am now reading that the vaccine does not give protection into adulthood and might even increase the risk of adult chicken pox and shingles - which is giving me doubts."

There is some evidence that the vaccine is not as effective as first thought. It's a bucketload more effective than not being vaccinated. Discuss the concerns with your doctor if worried; but ultimately vaccines are only given as standard if a lot of evidence indicates substantial benefit. YWBVU to not vaccinate your child.

Chicken pox vacine isn't given as standard though - hence the debate as its up to parents to request and privately pay for it.

I am still debating whether to get my 3 and 6 year olds vaccinated for chicken pox, Im leaning towards doing it at the moment.

Also - chicken pox isn't always just a simple illness even in kids, there are rare complications, yes, 1 in thousands complications, but I do know a child who was that one and what he and his family went through was very scary. So Im leaning towards giving a vaccine now when they are at most risk of catching it, even if it leaves them with less immunity in later life.

My mum has recently had chicken pox in her fifites after somehow now catching it with two children who had it and working in education for 30 + years.

She was really ill for a bout a month so my personal feelong is its better to have it youn rather than run the risk of catching it whe older.

Bit its a choice different for each family.

they are still researching it for UK. I believe it's given as a matter of course in the US.

In your boat I'd go ahead and get them vaccinated.

I never knew there was a vaccine for chicken pox and really wished I'd had it done for my children.

My daughter and son were so ill with chicken pox. My daughter had them in her eyes, they were worried about her eyesight. My son was so ill he was almost admitted to hospital. They are now covered in scars from it.

It can be a horrible illness, not to mention the complications it can cause, especially to vulnerable people.

Personally, I would get it done if u can.

I have read that part of the reason that the chicken pox vaccine is not routinely given for children in the UK is because occasional exposure to chicken pox as an adult (eg by caring for a child with chicken pox) can help to protect against an adult developing shingles.

If it was introduced as standard for children there would be a sharp rise in shingles cases a few years later unless it was combined with an intensive campaign to offer shingles vaccination to adults at the same time.

You just get a booster if you need it-it hasn't been routine for very long so most testing only goes up to about twenty years (when it is still detected in the blood so that's good news). If your children didn't contract it they would need the vaccine at around ten anyway. The varicella vaccine is actually routine in most countries with proper standards of healthcare so it would be a bit silly not to get it if you can afford it. Why would settle for third world NHS standards when you could have fully vaccinated children AND save yourselves from the agony of two plus weeks of chickenpox plus possible life long scarring?