Chicken pox and other vax,

[sirlee66]

Hi all,

I keen to get DS (11 weeks) any and all vaccinations available. He had his 8 week jabs and is due his 12 week ones soon.

I know you can pay for the chicken pox vaccine, I was wondering if anyone could tell me what age they are allowed to get them and also do I need to wait a period of time in-between the routine ones? Had a look on the NHS website and didn't really understand.

Also, is there any other vaccines available out there that aren't included in the standard ones given? I'll happily save up now and pay for them.

Want to protect DS as much as possible and am pro Vax.

Anyone?

It's 1 for the chicken pox vaccine...

I think it is 12 or 13 months as another poster said. In the country I live in, chicken pox is added to the MMR vaccine which is given at 12 months as MMRV. Then a booster around starting school age. I don't know if the same applies for a standalone chicken pox vaccine.

Mine have all had chicken pox in the last month. Why would you offer a job instead? Just interested. Not criticising.

It took me a while to figure out what you meant blue 😂. Although chicken pox is a mild disease in most children, it can be very unpleasant and at worst (and very rarely) lethal. Vaccination against it is routine in a lot of countries, and some parents feel that the fact that it isn't offered as routine here isn't a reason not to protect your child from this disease.

DD has been vaccinated against chicken pox. It was two vaccines, at least a month apart. Each jab was £65, arranged through our independent pharmacy (Lifestyle pharmacy, am I allowed to say that?) The Superdrug in our next big city also offers it.
She was 16 months when the initial vaccine was given (to coincide with the start of nursery), but can be done at any point from 12 months onwards.

We chose to vaccinate for three reasons.

1. At the time, we suspected that DH had not had chicken pox (we now know he has got immunity, through a blood serum test with our GP).

1. I had chicken pox horrendously as a child, including over my eyelids and on my eyes.
2. We'd have to take unpaid leave to look after DD whilst she recovered, no family local and very limited paid days for child illness.

We discussed this with our family GP, and some surgeries will order in the vaccine, and dispense it, you just have to pay for the vaccine itself. Family GP had vaccinated their children, and several other medical friends had also chosen to do so. It is offered as standard in come countries on the continent, and in the USA.

Lastly, whilst there is a slight theoretical risk of chicken pox when older (teenager +) and shingles, DD can be vaccinated again, as a top up dose when older (a bit like the Tetanus jabs).

Hope that helps. Sorry it was so long.

Chickenpox in the U.K. needs to be given a month before or after MMR so you need to either have the vaccines schedule on time and have it at 13 months or else have it at 12 months and wait a month for MMR. Privately nowhere provides MMRV at the moment, which may change. Research says you can have the MMR and chickenpox on the same day but few places will be willing to do so.

Thanks so much, will get DS's first chicken pox jab when he is 13 months, a month after is routine vaccinations.

Blue, I'd like to prevent DS getting chicken pox.

Are there any other vaccines that you can get other than chicken pox what are not routine?

You can have chicken pox on the same day as MMR so if you want protection as soon as possible I’d do that. Otherwise as others have said you have to wait a month.

Oh really, Welsh. Is it something you can get the nurse to do at the same time as the MMR of the surgery offers it?

Yes, we just paid the GP surgery to order in the vaccine then the nurse gave along with the other 4. Had to go back 6 weeks later for the second one.

I was seriously considering getting the chicken pox vaccine for my children. However, in the end, they caught it before I did.
My DD got infected pox and had to be on IV antibiotics for two days in hospital. My DS didn't suffer as badly, but was utterly miserable. I'm glad it is over for them both now, but I do wish I had vaccinated them earlier.
HOWEVER saying that, children in their nursery had the vaccine, and yet still caught chicken pox in the same wave... so it clearly doesn't necessarily completely protect.

My dds had the vaccine in Oz (vacarella?) wasn’t worth it as they still got it. Mildly, but still caught it.

My dds had the vaccine in Oz (vacarella?) wasn’t worth it as they still got it. Mildly, but still caught it.

I would feel that it was worth it as they will now be fully immune and didn’t suffer badly as a result thanks to the vaccination.

Just had a Google:

"Although some vaccinated children (about 2%) will still get chickenpox,they generally will have a much milder form of the disease, with fewer blisters (typi- cally fewer than 50), lower fever, and a more rapid recovery. The vaccinealmost always prevents against severe disease." - immunize.org

So deffo think it's still worth it.

My 12 month old just got the CP jab on Monday. Our practice nurse refused to do them both on same day so I've had to postpone his MMR until early September as I'd already taken him to have to CP jab that morning 🙄