What is chickenpox and who can get a vaccine?

Younger children in the UK will soon offer a free vaccine against chickenpox on NHS.

It will be added to the list of standard children’s vaccinations from January 2026, and the catching program will be conducted for older children.

Chicken pox A very contagious disease caused by Varicella Zoster (VZV) virusField

The virus is transmitted through direct contact between people or through air drops in coughing and sneezing.

It is very easy to catch, especially if you have never had it before.

Despite the fact that this mainly affects children – about half had it for the fourth birthday – people of any age can get this.

The first symptoms include fever, muscle pain and pain and, as a rule, feels bad.

A couple of days later, an itching, spotted rash appears.

These red or pink dots can appear anywhere in the body, including inside the mouth.

Some children may have only a few places, but others can be covered from head to toe.

The spots are filled with liquid and become blisters before the crusts, to form scabs, which ultimately fall and are cleaned.

You are contagious and can distribute chickenpox to other people two days before the first places develop until they form scabs, which is usually five days after they first appear.

Most cases in children are soft, although they will feel bad and will need to skip a school or a nursery for several days.

Some children will develop complications.

In rare cases, chicken can cause cerebral edema called encephalitis; pneumonia, called pneumonitis; And a stroke that can lead to hospitalization and – very rarely – death.

Chicken is often more serious in very young children and adults.

This can be dangerous during pregnancy, causing complications of both the mother and the child.

You can already get a vaccine against chickenpox in the UK, worth up to 200 pounds.

But experts say that adding a vaccine against chickenpox to the official program of childhood immunization NHS Significantly reduces the number of people who catch chickenpox, which will lead to a much smaller number of serious cases.

The vaccine does not guarantee lifelong immunity, but it significantly reduces the risk that someone develops chickenpox or a bad case.

Serious side effects, such as severe allergic reaction, are very rare.

Since January 2026, children will automatically offer two doses at the age of 12 and 18 months.

They will receive a combined MMRV vaccine, which protects against measles, mumps, rubella and varicens.

This is a living vaccine, which means that it contains a weakened version of the windsuit virus. Thus, this is not recommended for those who have a compromised immune system from a disease such as HIV or as a result of treatment, such as chemotherapy.

This step will lead the UK in accordance with other countries that already offer conventional vaccination of vaccination with chicken donkey, including Germany, Canada, Australia and the USA.

Earlier it was believed that the vaccination of children against chickenpox could cause problems with tiles, but a recent long -term study from the United States denied this theory.

The Committee, which is advised by the vaccination government – JCVI – I recommend that all children be provided with MMRV in November 2023.Field

It also suggested that there should be a temporary program of catching up people for some older children who would simply miss. Details of this are expected in due time.

The decision on vaccination against chickenpox was announced, since new data showed that none of the main vaccines in childhood in England reached a 95% absorption goal in 2024/25.

According to the British Health Agency, about 91.9% of five -year -old children received one dose of MMR vaccines, without changes from 2023/24 and the lowest level from 2010/11.

You cannot catch the tile. This Extremely painful condition This can develop years after infection with chickenpox.

This is because when people receive chickenpox, the virus remains in the body and can be reactivated later, which causes tiles.

This can happen, for example, if your immune system is weakened by stress, certain conditions or treatment, such as chemotherapy.

For many, this is a painful skin rash – usually on the chest or stomach – on one side of the body.

Medicine (antivirus tablets) can help accelerate recovery and avoid longer problems.

A Vaccine against tiles Available in NHS for:

• People who are 65 years old on September 1, 2023 or after that
• People aged 70 to 79 years old who have not yet been vaccinated
• People aged 50 years with a strongly weakened immune system

You can get tiles more than once, so it is important to vaccinate, even if you had a tile earlier.

If you have a tile after vaccination, the symptoms can be much softer.