Chickenpox vaccine

[mumsthewordi]

Nearly everyone in daughters class (she is four and just started reception), has had the chickenpox vaccine

I had not even considered it as an option , I don't know why they've all gone this route as now daughters got reduced exposure and she may get when older which I would be more nervous about,

Should just get her to have it too ?

Both my DC have had the vaccine, one at 1 years and one at 2.5 neither suffered any ill effects whatsoever and have managed to avoid multiple rounds of chickenpox.

One of my nephews ended up hospitalised with chicken pox, another ended up with infected chickenpox and really suffered and a close friend had nearly 4 weeks off work as it went around all her kids. That’s what contributed to my decision.

It’s on other European countries standard vax programme. I guess it’s not cost effective for the NHS.

Unfortunately this is the issue with it, people think it is just a run of the mill.illness like a cold. Something kids just get.

I am from a generation where we were subject to "pox parties" due to the belief it was better to get it over with etc.

Like flu. Some strains are relatively har less and others are killers.

If you can protect your child because your local PCT (primary care trust) endorses it and you can afford the £150 then do it. There a very few reported side effects beyond brief temp and few aches and pains that calpol combats. But honestly they are worth the risk versus the alternative!

@mumsthewordi she has a lot of scarring including on her face. My DS got chicken pox at the same time and had a mild case from the perspective of he felt fine. But he's also scarred on his face. It's really not worth letting them get it. There seems to be this idea that we should all let our children get it for their own good but it's quite cruel based on my experience.

I’m one of three siblings and we all had it as kids at the same time, youngest was 8 and the oldest of us 13 when we caught it. I’m in the middle. Both siblings had very mild cases but I was incredibly poorly and came very close to being hospitalised. Even now, 45 years later I have very obvious scarring. If you can afford it then I’d definitely had your child vaccinated.

Forgive my lack of psychic ability from your first post.

It’s strange that your hospital couldn’t offer it then, a consultant recommendation would usually override standard PCT or locality scheduling and it could be given off schedule. They would either buy it in or do it on prescription.

I hope your DD is doing well now.

It’s going to be added to the NHS schedule before too long, it was supposed to be added this year and combined with the MMR so we give MMR-V but has been postponed.

I got both DDs vaccinated as they had not had it at 8 years old - the GP said if I could afford it I should do it as they were increasingly at risk of having it badly due to their age. They had no side effects from the vaccination.

The chicken pox vaccine reduces the chances of developing shingles for the vaccinated person. DH had a horrible case of shingles so I wanted to reduce DSs chances of that, as well as avoid chickenpox as I have facial scars from that myself.

There was concern that vaccinating children may increase shingles cases in the current population of older adults, due to reduced contact with the virus - but studies in countries where the vaccine is routinely given don't seem to support that theory.

Really?! Your local NHS primary care trust has actually banned private GPs, paediatricians and pharmacies from offering the chickenpox vaccine privately? So if you went on the Boots website to book one and entered your postcode you’d get no local results because they’re simply not allowed to offer it in your area? Or called a private paediatrician they’d say they couldn’t do it because it’s banned? If that’s true it’s utter lunacy on the part of the PCT and honestly I had no idea that went on, I thought private medicine did stuff the NHS wouldn’t necessarily endorse all the time, so how odd to go after the chickenpox vaccine when the JCVI has recommended it. I wonder what the reasoning could possibly be…

Yup.

Cannot be purchased in my county at all.

Dds specialist is in a different county but due to the weird funding rules under the NHs Choices thing we were put there due to the insane waiting lists in our own area, but because her treatment is funded by my area they cannot do it as it isn't covered.

It's another joy of the NHS lottery.

And yep even as a private patient I couldn't buy it for DD.

She was allowed it before the chemi meds were started thanks at the hospitals request, however my PCT (Primary Care Trust) don't offer it so you cannot get it here either via NHS or privately.

Primary Care Trusts haven't existed for over a decade, so whatever happened then probably isn't relevant to OP.

Nothing extreme for any of mine - mild fever, bit grumpy, sore arm. Nothing major at all.

As it's a live vaccine you have to take care around pregnant women and very young babies shortly after.

Yes my DC was injected whilst I was heavily pregnant - I was probably 35 weeks.

AFTER injecting my DC, pharmacist asked If I was pregnant and told me I’d need to distance from my DC if he came out in spots…! I was so cross as I parent alone and that wouldn’t have been possible.

I was all ok though.

Both of mine have had it. DD1 was 9 months old. She's never caught it from multiple exposures. DD2 caught it as a baby, about 5mo, before I could get her vaccinated. She had it mildly, I was still breastfeeding her, but I decided to get her vaccinated subsequently as having CP before 6 months can mean they get it again as it doesn't build their immunity in same way. Neither have had any side effects from the vaccine.

I have a few friends and acquaintances whose several thousand-pound holidays have been put at risk because of CP, or expensive plans had to be cancelled, unpaid time off work taken, etc. so if you can afford it in the first place it seems a no-brainer to me, on top of the obvious benefits of not having your child go through something unpleasant that can lead to facial scarring and in rare cases hospitalisation. I remember having CP as a kid over Xmas and it was miserable.

@mumsthewordi

"Should just get her to have it too ?"

Regardless of whether the rest of her classmates have been vaccinated against Chickenpox please please consider getting her vaccinated as well against what can be a horrible virus with life long implications.

My DS was hospitalised with CP, which was a truly horrible time and I vowed to get the rest of my children vaccinated to avoid that ever happening again.

Having CP very young doesn't necessarily provide immunity for shingles. The virus lies dormant in the body until the immune system weakens.

I had chicken pox at nine months and 18 months and then when I was 9 years old there was a wave of CP going through school and I contracted shingles.

I wish I had vaccinated my kids privately. Ds1 ended up having an experience with a horrible doctor that made him terrified of anything medical for years. He had loads of them in his mouth, so couldn't eat. Ds2 caught it from ds1 and the greater exposure meant worse viral load. I felt so sorry for him. So uncomfortable and covered in itchy spots. He was only 1, so couldn't understand.

JCVI have recommended it so it'll be on the NHS in a few years time. Benefits outweigh risks.

Same here at 7 yo.

If she never gets chickenpox she can never get shingles. Shingles is the same vaccine lying dormant for your whole life. The preventive effect for shingles is for older people, who nowadays can get a shingles vaccine if they like. The children do not benefit from it.

Yeah my understanding was that no CP means no shingles later in life, not increased chance of shingles later.

ive been hearing for years it will be added to the NHS schedule but it hasn’t yet…wish they’d hurry up and do it ideally before I have to pay for it for my younger child 😂

I've just decided to get my daughter vaccinated against chicken pox. She's 6 nearly 7. I didn't want to risk her getting it when older as it can get worse the older you get. I remember my sister having it when she was 10 and it was really bad. She has a lot of of scars from it. So I decided not to risk it.

Id say leave it for a year or two and if your child doesn't get it, then think about the vaccine

You can go to some Boots or Superdrug’s to get it done.
we went to a private pharmacy. Some travel jab clinics do it too.

That doesn’t make sense? They can’t tell private clinics what they can do. Or you could just drive somewhere.

Surely if the alternative is your child spending a week on antibiotics in hospital, you just travel to the next county over and get it done privately?

It seems a bit weird to me. How can they stop you getting it as a private patient at a private clinic or pharmacy? What happens if you just book it online at Boots?

I think there's been some miscommunication somewhere.