Chicken pox vaccine: have you done it recently?

[Convex]

Have called a few places and they are out of stock.

Any recent recommendations?

[etta166]

Will your GP not prescribe it? Any pharmacy can order it in with a prescription.

[devsdev]

Apprently it's not very useful in the UK because it's not part of the general immunisation programme. As such there is no "herd immunity" which makes having the vaccine less effective - had asked the nurse when I went for the MMR booster. Obviously you may have other reasons for getting it, so please ignore me if so!

[Strawbs]

I enquired about it actually with the immunisation nurse at my GP and she said the same as devsdev said, that it would require a booster and as the country doesnt vaccinate as a rule (unlike Australia where I am from) that the child then wont be protected later on in life as there is no 'herd immunity' so I would imagine it would a case of getting regular boosters and hoping it isnt contracted in between. Other than that sorry i have no idea, I think you can google private places in town somewhere that will do it for you. x

[Convex]

Thanks everyone. The go just said they don't do it, perhaps I will go in and ask rather than over the phone.

We want to vaccinate anyway for various reasons but with 2nd baby on the way and an upcoming family event happening soon I wanted to get it done quickly.

I will look into the above re herd immunity though, I had thought a vaccination and booster gave the same immunity as having had it, if that's not the case then maybe not such a good idea.

[etta166]

Our GP doesn't routinely do the CP vaccine, but given our specific circumstance at the time they were willing to prescribe it so that we could then get it from a pahrmacy ourselves. The nurse did the injections. Worth explaining to a GP why you want to do it and then see what they say.

[Saffron]

devsdev Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Apprently it's not very useful in the UK because

> it's not part of the general immunisation

> programme. As such there is no "herd immunity"

> which makes having the vaccine less effective -

> had asked the nurse when I went for the MMR

> booster. Obviously you may have other reasons for

> getting it, so please ignore me if so!

That information is not correct. Low uptake of the varicella vaccine for CP in the UK does indeed affect disease transmission (ie herd immunity). However, this is in no way related to the potency of the vaccine. Varicella vaccine is a potent immunisation against CP.

It is not currently part to the UK childhood immunisation program for a variety of social and economic reasons, not because it is less effective here than elsewhere. xx

[Saffron]

Strawbs Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> I enquired about it actually with the immunisation

> nurse at my GP and she said the same as devsdev

> said, that it would require a booster and as the

> country doesnt vaccinate as a rule (unlike

> Australia where I am from) that the child then

> wont be protected later on in life as there is no

> 'herd immunity' so I would imagine it would a case

> of getting regular boosters and hoping it isnt

> contracted in between. Other than that sorry i

> have no idea, I think you can google private

> places in town somewhere that will do it for you.

> x

This is also not quite correct. The vaccine does indeed require boosters. However, when given correctly boosters DO prevent contracting CP. In clinical practice, (current understanding of this last time I looked into it) CP vaccine is given initially as 2 injections 1-3 years apart, which is 99% effective at preventing CP. Experimental data suggests this could be followed by a booster in the teens, one in adulthood, and one old age, depending on population dynamics.

Having had CP in the past does not necessarily provide lifetime immunity. There are many documented cases of individuals having CP more than once. It is thought there is a genetic susceptibility to this, though I haven't yet heard of this being associated with a specific set of genes.

Also having had CP in the past mean that you're susceptible to shingles later in life, which you'd need to be vaccinated for anyway.

[Saffron]

Convex Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Thanks everyone. The go just said they don't do

> it, perhaps I will go in and ask rather than over

> the phone.

>

> We want to vaccinate anyway for various reasons

> but with 2nd baby on the way and an upcoming

> family event happening soon I wanted to get it

> done quickly.

>

> I will look into the above re herd immunity

> though, I had thought a vaccination and booster

> gave the same immunity as having had it, if that's

> not the case then maybe not such a good idea.

Read the CDC webpages for more info: http://www.cdc.gov/chickenpox/vaccination.html

2 doses of the vaccine are 99% effective at preventing CP infection. Also, if you've already been exposed, you can get the vaccine within 3-5 days of exposure to significantly reduce your likelihood of infection, or minimise the severity of infection.

My daughter had her first injection through the private walk-in centre near Charring Cross, but they no longer have a paeds consultant. So we'll have to get her second somewhere else. Interested to know where others are having it done? My understanding was that NHS GPs won't do it unless there is a specific underlying reason for it.

[devsdev]

Thanks Saffron - may be worth looking into then. And I've had CP and would really like to avoid shingles...my colleague had it recently (very young to have it - only 30) and it sounded awful. Can you really vaccinate against that?

[Saffron]

Yes, there is a shingles vaccine. I think it's currently only available on the NHS if you're 70 or 79: http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/vaccinations/Pages/shingles-vaccine-questions-and-answers.aspx. However, you could pay to have it at a private clinic. xx

[Saffron]

South London Travel Centre was recommended in a recent thread. Looks like their prices are fairly reasonable. http://www.yourtravelclinic.co.uk/SouthLondonTravelCentre.php

[MelissaVF]

We went to a travel clinic in Moorgate (city doc) Perfectly good service and near enough to the London Museum that good distraction afterwards! V easy to book in as well.

[Saffron]

We're having a consultation for my daughter's 2nd immunisation at the South London Travel Clinic tomorrow. We'd previously had her first CP imms at one of the travel clinics in central London (MediCtr Victoria? can't rem now), but paeds consultant wasn't available last time I checked.

So, we're going to give the SLTC a try for jab number 2. The receptionist was a little uncertain, since we didn't do our first jab there. She said we could discuss it with the consultant tomorrow. Hopefully it will all be fine!

[Saffron]

So it all went fine. Jab number 2 done, didn't appear to be painful. Cost was ?68, and the staff were really friendly. xx

[TE44]

http://article.wn.com/view/2014/01/28/UPDATE_1Production_snag_forces_worldwide_hold_on_GSK_chicken/

bit of a problem with this vaccine at the moment

[Convex]

Ignore me I see the link above.

Thanks for the update Saffron.

[Saffron]

Saffron Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> South London Travel Centre was recommended in a

> recent thread. Looks like their prices are fairly

> reasonable.

> http://www.yourtravelclinic.co.uk/SouthLondonTrave

> lCentre.php

No problems getting this jab from SLTC. They don't appear to be affected by the production shortage mentioned in TE44's link. xx

[cactus]

Hopefully you've already found a clinic and obtained the vaccination.

If not Same day doctor in Wimpole Street have the vaccine - 020 76310090, cost is ?90.

My sister and her partner are in their 40s and neither have had chickenpox. However they were recently exposed

when a friend's 5 year old daughter came to stay at the peak of the infectious period. Sister panicked as they were

off to Japan in a couple of weeks, so she had the vaccine post exposure and within the 3 day period. Partner refused.

Fast forward 2.5 weeks, they've just started their holiday, sister is fine, partner very ill with chickenpox in a Tokyo hotel.

[Convex]

Oh dear! Poor guy.

[inthewoods]

Have you tried babyjabs at Harley street? I seem to remember there were 2 injections with 6 months in between.

[Convex]

Just to say went to SLTC and they were great.