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Should my child get the chickenpox vaccination?
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Should my child get the chickenpox vaccination?
The chickenpox vaccination isn't currently offered to all children on the NHS but you can pay for your child to have it. But does your child need it? We look at the latest facts, with expert advice from GP Dr Philippa Kaye
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On the shingles point, the reason the US, Australia and Germany and around 60 other countries offer the vaccine and continue to do so is because when they introduced the vaccine they saw no increase in shingles. Equally there is a shingles vaccine available free on the NHS so this isn't even a problem. Why are we letting kids get sick just to save the older population from something that's entirely preventable anyway?
The sheer fact that a vaccine is privately available and is getting increasing uptake naturally means that age shift is going to occur unless it is given a national tender. Equally you can see the reasons why its so popular. Not having to take time of work, not risking your child being in hospital with a serious infection, no scars, not passing it on to pregnant women and immune suppressed. Problem is because of the cost, only some parents in a certain demographic can afford the vaccines leading to a two tier heath system and leaving kids who can't afford it at more risk, which is not the point of the NHS at all.
For balance may I suggest you get a second opinion on this article from a consultant who see's the effect of chickenpox when it goes wrong rather than a GP who only ever see's mild cases and never has to deal with a severe one as they tend to go straight to A&E. Suddenly you'll see just how much support there is for a chickenpox vaccine.
In short what a terribly uniformed article based on bias from a profession which is not an expert in the disease.
We do take your point, though, that we didn’t state the facts on hospitalisations due to chickenpox complications. We have now added (and referenced) the 2018-9 NHS figures to the article, making sure we isolated the figures for children under 14.
We have also, after speaking again to our expert GP and reading further research studies, added in more information about the possible change in thinking about the forecast rise in shingles should a chickenpox vaccine be introduced – and the fact that the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation is looking again at the data from countries where a childhood chickenpox vaccine is routine.
Until the Committee makes any new recommendations, though, we feel it’s only right to present the NHS position on the chickenpox vaccine – and then to let parents make up their own minds.
I lost 60% of my eyesight within two weeks due to internal legions and the retinal scarring. My mom was hospitalised and not expected to survive. It may not be common that such serious and lasting effects are seen
But it's entirely unnecessary and time this entire condition was resigned to the history books.