Chicken pox: a jab too far?

The vaccine is designed for use on adults initially

The UK's first licensed vaccine for chicken pox is being launched today.

It's intended mainly for people at particular risk from the disease, such as pregnant women or people whose immune systems have been damaged.

But some of its supporters say they can envisage the day when it's routinely given to children too.

Around twenty people die from chicken pox in Britain every year.

But, after the controversy over the MMR, do we really want another vaccination against a common childhood illness?

On Breakfast this morning, we heard both sides of the vaccine debate.

"My advice on this is be very very cautious," alternative medicine practitioner John McKenna told Breakfast.

McKenna: young immune systems need to develop

He's highly critical of attempts to vaccinate against childhood illnesses, which he believes help the immune system mature.

"We do not need another jab," he said. "Chicken pox is a mild illness."

click here to watch John McKenna's interview in full

We also talked to Dr Nigel Higson, a GP who also specialises in viral diseases.

Higson: pregnant women need protection

He explained that while having chicken pox is no big deal for a healthy child, it can be a real problem for adults.

Pregnant women are particularly vulnerable, as it can cause damage similar to German Measles (rubella).

Priorities for vaccination would be: adults whose immune system has been compromised, pregnant women, and health workers who might pass on the disease to others.

click here to see Dr Nigel Higson's interview in full

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Background

The vaccination's manufacturer, GlaxoSmithKline, says it could provide an answer to concerns over the risks of varicella (chickenpox) to adults, especially healthcare workers.

There has been a rise in the number of adult cases of chickenpox since the late 1960s.

Screening healthcare workers and offering those without natural immunity the chickenpox vaccine will cut down problems like cancelled operations

Dr Nigel Higson, Primary Care Virology Group

The highly infectious viral disease tends to be more severe if contracted after childhood.

It can cause miscarriage or birth defects in the unborn child.

Hospital cases

The rise in adult cases of chickenpox has led to calls for healthcare workers to be vaccinated.

Hospital staff who come into contact with the virus are not allowed to work with certain patients, putting pressure on the NHS.

"Screening healthcare workers and offering those without natural immunity the chickenpox vaccine will cut down problems like cancelled operations," said Dr Higson.

The Department of Health (DoH) says it will be considering how the vaccine can be most effectively used in the NHS "in due course".

It said in a statement: "Until now chickenpox vaccine has only been available for high risk individuals such as children with leukaemia or solid organ transplants.

Chickenpox

Chickenpox is caused by the varicella zoster virus, a member of the herpes family of viruses

Symptoms include a blistering rash and mild fever, loss of appetite, headache and sore throat

The infection is spread by direct contact or inhalation

"The Department of Health welcomes the availability of a licensed chickenpox vaccine which could be used more widely, particularly in hospitals, to protect vulnerable patients from infection."

According to GlaxoSmithKline, policy recommending that non-immune healthcare workers should receive the varicella vaccine is under consideration and will be announced by the DoH.

However, the use of the chickenpox vaccine in the UK is not without its opponents.

The chickenpox vaccine is routine in the US but experts have said in the past that more work needs to be done to see if it would be beneficial to introduce the vaccine in the UK.

There is particular concern that there could be millions more cases of shingles in adults if children are mass vaccinated against chickenpox.

Shingles is a disease caused by the chickenpox virus that may flare up in later life.

Exposed

Around a quarter of people who have had chickenpox go on to suffer the condition, which manifests itself as a painful rash.

Adults are less likely to develop shingles if they have been exposed occasionally to the chickenpox virus, perhaps by their children catching it.

But Dr Higson believes that the risk of a rise in shingles cases is "purely a mathematical possibility".

The new vaccine is licensed for use in people aged 13 and over and can only be given to children in certain circumstances.

He says the biggest risk of a rise in shingles would come if 90% or more of UK children received the vaccination.

"One day it will become a routine vaccination in the childhood schedules," he said.

"I don't think that's on the cards at the moment."

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