Chickenpox Vaccine

delly

I'm just wondering how readily available this is in Ireland. I asked in my local health centre and while they know it exists, they don't have any plans to administer it.

After researching all I can about it I defo want to get it for my daughter, but has anybody actually had it done and what was the cost etc.?

Nevyn

Well I never knew there was one until this post.
Thankfully mine had the chicken pox while they were both pretty young.

littlebug

afaik it's not routinely given here. It is given in the US but I think the kids can still get chickenpox but get a much milder version of it. I don't know anyone who requested or paid for it My 2 haven't had chickenpox and at 6 and 4 I kinda wish they would get it and have it over and done with!

delly

Well i'll be honest and say I knew little about it as well until my mother thought we should get it done, reason being my niece had a complicated case of it resulting in her needing tubing as she couldn't breath.

Nevyn

delly wrote: »

Well i'll be honest and say I knew little about it as well until my mother thought we should get it done, reason being my niece had a complicated case of it resulting in her needing tubing as she couldn't breath.

Yikes, I would suggest that you ring the dept of health and find out is it lienced here and if so who can prescribe and dispense it.

axel rose

Im getting it for my son (Adult chicken Pox nearly killed me). Hes getting it at 12 months (or thereabouts), all I need to do is phone ahead to get the GP to order it. The vaccine is about €50 and then you have the usual GP charges. Considering what I went through its great value!

lostinnappies

While Vacc are always good, the medical community usually only supply vaccines to virus's that are more likely damaging to a persons health MMR, meningitus etc. You can ask for it, they might give it, but as chicken pox has no-little long term health risks they may try and disuade you as it might be a "waste" of money. Plus the vaccine is only 70-90% effective and your child may get it anyhow.

crosstownk

Is it not possible to have your GP order in the vaccine and administer it? Similar to the way vaccinations for travel are obtained.

lostinnappies

crosstownk wrote: »

Is it not possible to have your GP order in the vaccine and administer it? Similar to the way vaccinations for travel are obtained.

Of course it is, but if its not approved by the HSE or WHO they are entitled to refuse ... you might be searching for a Doctor who will order it for you. Plus you will be paying for it yourself.

aquarius lady

All midwifes are vaccinated if they havent previously had chickenpox

lostinnappies

Id also like to add that the chicken pox vaccine is only Temporary. They are now saying that while children are covered during their earlier years they then go on to develop chicken pox at a later age. They are advising a booster at the age of 4/5 years of age but again this is only temp and you lead the risk of having Adult chicken pox ... a more sever condition with rather larger health risks then child hood chicken pox ....

I wont be getting the chicken pox vaccine for my kids for just that reason .. i would rather they get it in child hood and get a proper immunity to it then develop it later in life and suffer life threatening complications.

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/parenting/2008/09/chicken_pox.html

axel rose

Lost in Nappies it certainly is approved by the HSE and the WHO, in fact there are two companies that produce chicken pox vaccines for the Irish market. Both are just as effective.

PLEASE dont assume that just because the HSE dont automatically administer vaccines they are unsafe. The HSE just dont have the funds to do it. Similar to the cervical cancer jab- parents are free to organise it privately.

The HSE have no right to refuse an approved vaccine, they are not paying for it. The same vaccine I believe was recently (or will soon be) made available to all British children.

crosstownk, that is my point, all you need to do is phone your GP and have it ordered for you.

Lost in nappies, just because your children get CP in childhood does not automatically give them immunity in adulthood. The vaccine does however reduce the chances of getting it, if keeping my sons vaccines topped up will save him from the severe scarring, pain and nerve damage.......grand.

High&Low

aquarius lady wrote: »

All midwifes are vaccinated if they havent previously had chickenpox

Is that to do with chickenpox being very dangerous for pregnant women and their babies in the later stages of pregnancy?

aquarius lady

High&Low wrote: »

Is that to do with chickenpox being very dangerous for pregnant women and their babies in the later stages of pregnancy?

Yes contact with chickenpox a week before the lesions appear is very detrimental to the unborn. Therefore all healthcare workeres in maternity hospitals are screened and vaccinated if necessary on employment.

Quackles

High&Low wrote: »

Is that to do with chickenpox being very dangerous for pregnant women and their babies in the later stages of pregnancy?

Is it only dangerous if the mother gets chicken pox? My wee fellow is in playschool at the minute, a classmate has fallen to chicken pox - I've had it before and so has he, but what about the baby, I'm nearly 36 weeks pregnant.. My GP said it was fine, but this thread is making me nervous

aquarius lady

Quackles wrote: »

Is it only dangerous if the mother gets chicken pox? My wee fellow is in playschool at the minute, a classmate has fallen to chicken pox - I've had it before and so has he, but what about the baby, I'm nearly 36 weeks pregnant.. My GP said it was fine, but this thread is making me nervous

No worries your baby is perfectly safe, you had it previously. Happy Xmas

axel rose

Quackles wrote: »

Is it only dangerous if the mother gets chicken pox? My wee fellow is in playschool at the minute, a classmate has fallen to chicken pox - I've had it before and so has he, but what about the baby, I'm nearly 36 weeks pregnant.. My GP said it was fine, but this thread is making me nervous

Aye, as far as I know its only serious to the baby if the mum contracts it before 20 weeks. But if a quick phone call to your PHN will set your mind at rest then do it.

littlebug

axel rose wrote: »

Aye, as far as I know its only serious to the baby if the mum contracts it before 20 weeks. But if a quick phone call to your PHN will set your mind at rest then do it.

...and if you don't know if you've had it or not your gp can do a blood test to check your immunity. I was in the same situation as quackles when I was pregnant ie outbreak at daughters creche and I (or my mother) didn't know if I'd have had it. I had a blood test and results within 24 hours.

Quackles

Phew I guess the little wibbler is safe enough so!

High&Low

Sorry to have caused you to worry Quackles - I should have added that if a mother hadn't previously had chicken pox.

A friend of my wife's is pregnant at the moment and has been advised by her Dr to keep herself and her other kids away from playgroups and other children that "may" have been in contact with chickenpox as she hasn't had it before. Apparently they carry out tests on expectent mothers now to test their immunity...

aquarius lady

This thread seems to have caused confusion for pregnant ladies, just to clarify if you are in contact with anyone who has chickenpox regardless of how many weeks you are pregnant and if you have not previously had chickenpox or you have not been immunised ( one or the other ) it is important that you contact your GP or maternity hospital. If you have had chickenpox as a child or as an adult or you have been previously immunised your baby is not at risk. So therefore, no need to worry. Hope this clears up any confusion out there.

Kernel32

Over here in the states it was a requirement for our son to start school to either be vaccinated or you had to sign various documents with a letter outlining your objection to the vaccine. We dragged our feet on it and the school badgered us about it and at one point were told a letter was coming to us that would allow them to stop him entering the school until we did one or the other. I thought it was all pretty extreme but in the end after some research we opted for the vaccine.

lostinnappies

axel rose wrote: »

Lost in Nappies it certainly is approved by the HSE and the WHO, in fact there are two companies that produce chicken pox vaccines for the Irish market. Both are just as effective.

PLEASE dont assume that just because the HSE dont automatically administer vaccines they are unsafe. The HSE just dont have the funds to do it. Similar to the cervical cancer jab- parents are free to organise it privately.

The HSE have no right to refuse an approved vaccine, they are not paying for it. The same vaccine I believe was recently (or will soon be) made available to all British children.

crosstownk, that is my point, all you need to do is phone your GP and have it ordered for you.

Lost in nappies, just because your children get CP in childhood does not automatically give them immunity in adulthood. The vaccine does however reduce the chances of getting it, if keeping my sons vaccines topped up will save him from the severe scarring, pain and nerve damage.......grand.

I never said that they were not approved ... I said IF. Im not up to date on what is cleared and not thats why i said IF.
And also using your own argument if you child has been vaccinated and immune at child hood that is no garentee that they wont get it in adult hood .... which is the more sever medically. I think to have a balanced argument you must see state both the pros and cons of vaccination. Which is all I was doing.

axel rose

Ah Lostinnappies we probably wont agree on this one. This disease had ( and has) a huge impact on my life, and Im not just talking about the phsyical damage. I never want anyone I love to go through that. I survived but I was ill for the best part of a year.

I have done my research and I feel that a vaccine is right for my child. The treatment for this disease is improving hugely and currently this vaccine is the best protection I can provide. When the vaccines improve, my son will get them.

Your IF warning was unnecessary especially as the rest of your argument was researched, I just wanted to assure people that there are two approved chicken pox vaccines available in Ireland. Also a lot of people assume that just because the HSE chose not to administer vaccinations it is for safety reasons. This is very often not the case, mostly the reason is financial and only financial.

I dont want to scaremonger, my reaction to the disease was rare but I certainly dont want it repeated in my family and will do anything to stop it.

lostinnappies

axel rose wrote: »

Ah Lostinnappies we probably wont agree on this one. This disease had ( and has) a huge impact on my life, and Im not just talking about the phsyical damage. I never want anyone I love to go through that. I survived but I was ill for the best part of a year.

I have done my research and I feel that a vaccine is right for my child. The treatment for this disease is improving hugely and currently this vaccine is the best protection I can provide. When the vaccines improve, my son will get them.

Your IF warning was unnecessary especially as the rest of your argument was researched, I just wanted to assure people that there are two approved chicken pox vaccines available in Ireland. Also a lot of people assume that just because the HSE chose not to administer vaccinations it is for safety reasons. This is very often not the case, mostly the reason is financial and only financial.

I dont want to scaremonger, my reaction to the disease was rare but I certainly dont want it repeated in my family and will do anything to stop it.

Ah yes, but you can have vaccines that are being given in the US which are not approved over here. Thats the only reason i would say to check (now i know they are approaved from you). Often you get that information more readily from the HSE rather then trying to speek to someone in the WHO. Thats the only reason that I mentioned them.

Also you said you suffered from the Adult form of chicken pox which (as i stated before) IS the most deadly form. It sounds like you suffered ALOT with it and of course EVERYONE would want to spare their loved ones that pain and suffering but when you think of it, do you not think that by providing a temp vaccine which may not cover them in adult hood as its only been around for about 12 years, would not run higher risks of getting ADULT chicken pox then if a child were to get it at childhood (when its less likly to cause problems). Plus the research ive done on it some say its a 70% sucess others say 50%. Thats on each vacc. So while it may work the first time when a child is small it may not work the second time on an 11/12 year old, increasing the risks.

We may never agree on this one im afraid axel but having a medical understanding of how vaccinations work would probably make me more bias against it.:rolleyes:

axel rose

:rolleyes: Back at you Lostinnappies. Its amazing how we both feel that the other is quite biased in our opinions huh? You do however use 'fear' in a reckless manner.

I do not recommend that anyone use the internet to research anything medical. (why do people still do this?) I spoke to my GP, my PHN and a couple of nurse friends I know. All of these professional experts had pretty much the same opinion. (not yours). Back in my college days I was warned by my lecturers not to refer to internet sites for medical 'facts' They are often unreliable, biased and sponsored to suit the outcome.


What makes you think I have no understanding of vaccines-It comes across as a little patronising.( Was that accidential or were you trying to make a point?) I have nothing to prove to you but believe me Im more than qualified.

Please stop scaremongering and what exactly is your expertise? Seeing as you appear to know more than the medically trained personel I have spoken to- not to mention the many governmental health boards around the world.

lostinnappies

axel rose wrote: »

:rolleyes: Back at you Lostinnappies. Its amazing how we both feel that the other is quite biased in our opinions huh? You do however use 'fear' in a reckless manner.

I do not recommend that anyone use the internet to research anything medical. (why do people still do this?) I spoke to my GP, my PHN and a couple of nurse friends I know. All of these professional experts had pretty much the same opinion. (not yours). Back in my college days I was warned by my lecturers not to refer to internet sites for medical 'facts' They are often unreliable, biased and sponsored to suit the outcome.


What makes you think I have no understanding of vaccines-It comes across as a little patronising.( Was that accidential or were you trying to make a point?) I have nothing to prove to you but believe me Im more than qualified.

Please stop scaremongering and what exactly is your expertise? Seeing as you appear to know more than the medically trained personel I have spoken to- not to mention the many governmental health boards around the world.

What makes you think my research is from online ....now who is making assumptions;) there is no patronising intended, the only reason i mentioned that I have medical understanding of how vaccines work is just to acknowlege that I may be bias. My information was obtained by speeking to Doctors/nurses and research assistants who specialise in vaccines and their outcomes.

Further more im not using scaremongering, if anything im just stating the facts ... they have a lower success rate, ture? they have to be given a booster, true? Each vaccine has the same sucess rate, ture? The older you get chicken pox the more severe it is, ture? I've said nothing that wasnt true. I havent given the benefits of course because you have, and so admirably. Of course if it works then yes the benefits would definatly out weigh the the cons. But we must always put ALL the info out there, in the interest of a balanced thread

di11on

Just take them to visit anyone you know who has it! They'll get immunity that way... ok, they'll get the diesase too, but it's better than getting it as an adult! I had this horrible disease in 3rd year in college... there is nothing worse... really.... it's nasty getting it as an adult - so anything you can do for your kids to prevent that is good imo! Either give them the disease or an immunity to it while they're young.

Dfens

di11on wrote: »

Just take them to visit anyone you know who has it! They'll get immunity that way... ok, they'll get the diesase too, but it's better than getting it as an adult! Either give them the disease or an immunity to it while they're young.

Yes, bring back the 'Pox Parties' everyone....:D

lostinnappies

Dfens wrote: »

Yes, bring back the 'Pox Parties' everyone....:D

rofl, oh i nearly wet myself lol:D

Crea

Asked my GP about getting the vaccine yesterday and she said that her surgery wasn't licenced to order directly from pharmaceutical companies and they got their vaccines from the HSE. Given this isn't one of the vaccines normally given the HSE don't stock it so the GP cannot order this vaccine for me.
Neither my husband nor I have ever had chicken pox. If we were to get it and become very ill it would have a major impact on our household and income.