To think employers can pay for chicken pox vaccines

[coffeeforone]

I have been asked to put forward ideas of possible additional staff benefits to my employer. One that I have thought of is for the employer to pay for chicken pox vaccines (including for their family).

The benefits to both the employees and company are obvious. Less time off for parents benefits both. Kids don't need to suffer chicken pox.

But I'm not sure how well this idea would go down. If your employer offered to pay for the CP vaccine (but it would be a taxable benefit), would you vaccinate your little ones?

We used to have an onsite, free, dental service - now that was useful because no one had to take time off for an appointment. Things like physio and a hairdresser, on-site gym etc all useful too.

Eye tests and glasses subsidy

That's not a benefit, that's the HASAW Act, any one who works with a VDU (so not just computers but ultrasound machines and other display equipment) is entitled to a free eye test.

+The NHS doesn't vaccinate because it increases the risk of shingles in elderly people who haven't had the shingles vaccine.
Except that’s proven to be nonsense in countries that do routinely vaccinate.*

Doesn't that depend on the elderly population? Ie the childhood diseases they have had and any vaccinations?

You'd be far better off funding separate Measles, mumps and rubella vaxes . I paid a fortune for my two to get those.

You should probably have their immunity checked. When Wakefield unleashed his own special brand of evil clinics were getting stock from anywhere they could, some of it had not been stored correctly so isn't effective.

Well Burnandchips it's because the NHS won't make the single vaccines available that so many children are going unvaccinated. So we know who to blame, don't we. Scaremongering my arse.

I won't vaccinate DS against chicken pox it's a relatively mild disease, DH didn't get it as a child but got shingles as a young adult which was horrible, and there is a much higher risk of this in adults if we start vaccinating for chicken pox in a widespread way. It also needs renewing every ten years. It also seems an oddly specific benefit for an employer as it won't benefit the majority. Some employers pay for emergency qualified childcare including medical need, for so many days a year per employee, seems like a good idea to me

@Stressedout10
Everyone who has the chicken pox vaccination needs repeated doses as it only lasts 10-15 years

This isn't true. The vaccine hasn't been around long enough for this kid of data. I know quite a few hematologists and it's not true. It's just one of those myths people pass on.

*kind of data

I think a flexible benefit system is best, I used to work for a company that have you 'perk points' add part of your package, you could choose what to spend them on, private healthcare, dental plan, company car (if your role didn't require a lot of driving it was a separate thing if it did), you could buy extra leave days, gym memberships and other things I don't recall because I didn't use, you got to choose again each year so could change of your circumstances had changed. It was great. Now I work in the pubic sector and we don't even have water coolers/free tea and coffee....

Personally I'd rather have free / subsidised gym membership. Lots of people would like to be healthier but can't afford gym membership. Healthier workforce = less sick days...

I'd like to be able to leave an hour earlier 3 times a week (or come in later) to make getting to the gym easier. I'd sacrifice lunch for this.

I think its a good idea.

I had the vaccine twice on the NHS so they do give it but not routinely. Its a nasty disease for some. It didnt stop me getting it but a lot milder than I would have probably.

DH didn't get it as a child but got shingles as a young adult which was horrible,

You can't get shingles if you haven't had chickenpox so he probably did have, just so mildly it's not remembered.

I find it extremely hard to believe that a chickenpox vaccine being available would then prevent you from taking leave if your children got chickenpox. Never mind anything else, too difficult to police.

Overall though, I think flexible benefit options where you pick the ones you want up to a certain value or benefits that are open ended (eg access certain types of health care rather than specific services) are probably a better way of successfully providing something for everyone.

At my old corporate job, we had various versions of life insurance. There was the bare minimum that was compulsory but you could also insure yourself and your family for significantly more at a relatively low cost via the flexible benefits system. When I was single, I didn't access any of that, but once DH and I had kids, I moved things around so that I could benefit from the increased insurance in case something happened to us.

pepperpot99. Can you explain why the NHS not making the MMR vaccinations available singularly is resulting in so many children going unvaccinated.

In my local area, measles resulted from babies being taken to South Asia to see family before their MMR vaccination programme was completed. Not because of lack of take up of vaccinations. While the idea of a measles infected baby on a plane makes me shudder - in most cases the families were from places and cultures where vaccinations are taken seriously.

We now have posters up everywhere reminding parents to wait until after babies have received all their vaccinations before travelling overseas.

Can you explain why the NHS not making the MMR vaccinations available singularly is resulting in so many children going unvaccinated

Not now but back when ds was little a lot of parents were unsure about the MMR vaccine (and it was NOT just down to Wakefield, the concerns had been around for some years before he came along but I think it was different type of MMR vaccine in Japan that caused the original concerns) and wanted single vaccines. Because the NHS didn't offer them, parents paid for them. But they weren't universally available and for the very reasons the NHS didn't offer them, kids have gone unvaccinated, or more likely, not had the booster doses - ie not gone back for boosters or they were not available and long gaps inbetween. And so now you've got kids aged between about 14-18 who are missing doses.

I don't think the single vaccines are available now, NHS or not.

We now have posters up everywhere reminding parents to wait until after babies have received all their vaccinations before travelling overseas

When is the MMR given now - still at 13 months? So you are telling people not to go away until after that?

It’s only to high risk countries but the GP can provide an early MMR jab between 6-9 months if a baby is considered high risk of getting those illnesses. The guidance is to get that if travelling to high risk destinations.

In perspective, it's normally quite mild or doesn't prove a problem for most people. I'm not suggesting that some don't get complications, personally I've not heard of any.

When is the MMR given now - still at 13 months? So you are telling people not to go away until after that?

That's hardly a hardship if you don't want to expose your children to life threatening illnesses, is it. There are plenty of places to go on holiday here in the UK.

Thank you for that fairweathercyclist. I thought it was referring to children who are eligible for their vaccines now.

So all those children whose parents got caught up in the 'MMR causes autism' nonsense then.

Thanks all, I have put my idea forward as simply "contribution to vaccines for staff and family" So it would cover flu, travel vaccines, chicken pox and any others

Also, I mentioned upthread that I have already paid for DC to be vaccinated, so I wouldn't benefit directly I'm not sure how this can be a 'selfish' benefit.

Chicken pox can make for a miserable week for toddlers. A vaccine massively reduces the chances of them having to suffer.

As for the NHS reason not to vaccinate, does it truly increase the risk of shingles in the elderly in countries where they routinely vaccinate?

Sorry but it is absolutely true that the varicella vaccine doesn’t provide long lasting immunity in the way that primary infection doe
And the some time post vaccine varicella is primary chicken pox, not shingles. V dangerous.

Doi - I am a haematologist fit the pp who mentioned

Yep. Shingles in the US and India is really, really common compared to the UK - not just amongst the elderly but young people too.

DC all had real CP, now age 11+, so vacc is no attraction to me.
Free eye test is good.
PENSION top ups if you want a real sweetener.