Free chickenpox vaccination for kids to go live in January

The Public Health Agency has announced that chickenpox vaccination will be added to the childhood immunisation programme from January, which will help protect thousands of children from this unpleasant and potentially serious illness each year.

 This will be the first time in Northern Ireland that children will be offered protection against chickenpox for free through the childhood programme. Immunisation is the safest and most effective way of protecting our children against serious diseases.

Dr Joanne McClean, Director of Public Health at the PHA, said: “Parents will now be able to help protect their children against chickenpox and its serious complications. Chickenpox is often seen as a common and mild illness, but for some babies, young children and even adults, chickenpox can be very serious, leading to hospital admission and in some cases can be fatal.

“By offering this vaccine for free as part of the childhood immunisation programme, we can help protect children against chickenpox – not just the characteristic spots and general unwellness associated with the illness, but also the serious complications that can develop from it such as bacterial infections of the skin and soft tissue like strep A, brain and lung inflammation, and stroke. It’ll also help reduce the number of sick days for kids, and time parents have to take off work, as a result of this highly-transmissible disease.

 “Evidence from its use in other countries shows that the vaccine has a good safety record and is very effective. Its introduction here will have a really positive impact on the health of our young children.”

Eligible children will be offered a combined vaccine for measles, mumps, rubella and varicella (the clinical term for chickenpox) – (MMRV) – as part of the routine infant vaccination schedule. The decision to roll out the MMRV vaccine is based on expert scientific advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), following research showing the significant impact of severe cases of chickenpox on children’s health and hospital admissions.

Health Minister Mike Nesbitt said: “I am delighted that children in Northern Ireland will now be offered the chickenpox vaccination, in addition to the other vaccines already included in our well-established childhood vaccination schedule.

“This is a significant improvement to the childhood vaccination schedule.  Every child deserves the best possible start in life, and this vaccine will prioritise their wellbeing and prevent potentially serious complications from chickenpox. I encourage parents and guardians of those eligible to avail of the vaccination, when invited to do so, to help protect their children from this disease.”

As with other childhood immunisations, parents will be contacted by their GP surgery to arrange an appointment if their child is eligible.

If you are unsure if your child is up to date with vaccinations the easiest way to check is to look at your child’s red book or speak to your health visitor or GP.

If your child has missed a vaccination, please contact your GP practice to book an appointment as soon as you can to make sure they have maximum protection against disease.

Dr McClean concluded: “This change to the immunisation schedule is the first since 2015 when MenB was added, and this change will similarly mean that children will now be better protected against another potentially fatal disease.

“After clean water, vaccination is the most effective public health intervention in the world for saving lives and promoting good health, and therefore one of the most important things that any parent can do is get their child vaccinated and encourage them to continue this throughout their own lifetime.”

For more information on childhood immunisations and eligibility for the MMRV see www.nidirect.gov.uk/childhood-immunisation