Chickenpox Vaccine
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What are the symptoms of chickenpox?
The most common symptoms of chickenpox include:
Clusters of red spots that form on your skin – these spots can be itchy and can blister, as well as form scabs
A high temperature (over 38°C)
Aches and pains
A loss of appetite
How do you catch chickenpox?
Chickenpox is highly contagious, meaning it’s very easy to catch.
You catch chickenpox by coming into contact with the varicella zoster virus that causes it. This can happen if someone who is infected sneezes or coughs, and you breathe in droplets they’ve expelled that have the virus in it.
You can also catch the virus by touching the fluid within the blister of someone with chickenpox. If the fluid is on their skin or on a surface and you touch it, you can also get infected.
People are most contagious from two days before their spots appear and until their spots crust over. This means people can spread the virus before they know they’re infected.
Who is at risk from chickenpox?
Anyone can catch chickenpox if they’ve not already had it. For most people it is a mild infection but in rare cases, chickenpox can cause more serious complications. These can include bacterial skin infections, pneumonia and heart problems.
Those at most risk include:
Anyone with a weakened immune system, such as someone with an illness like HIV/AIDS, or someone taking immunosuppressant medications or undergoing chemotherapy
Pregnant women, as chickenpox can be passed to their unborn child and can cause severe disease and serious birth defects.
Who should have the chickenpox vaccine from our pharmacy clinic?
The NHS recommends the chickenpox jab should be given to:
People who have not previously had chickenpox, who are regularly around people with weakened immune systems (such as family members or carers of people with weakened immune systems)
People who have not previously had chickenpox, who are healthcare workers.
In these instances, the chickenpox vaccine is given more to protect vulnerable people around you, than to protect yourself. However, our vaccination service is available to anyone looking to protect themselves from the infection, as well as those eligible for the NHS service.