Chickenpox Vaccine: Regret & Prevention Tips

Bath, England, February 28, 2024 — A new vaccine offering robust protection against chickenpox is now available on the National Health Service (NHS), a move experts say could prevent serious complications like brain swelling and significantly reduce strain on the healthcare system.

Protecting Children: New Chickenpox Vaccine Rollout Begins

The NHS is now offering a combined measles, mumps, rubella, and varicella (MMRV) vaccine to 12- and 18-month-olds, bringing the UK in line with countries where the shot has been standard for years.

• The MMRV vaccine is 93% effective after one dose and 97% after two.
• Chickenpox can lead to rare but serious complications, including encephalitis and stroke.
• Uptake of childhood vaccines in the UK is currently below recommended levels, raising concerns about outbreaks.
• The vaccine is projected to save the NHS £15 million annually.

When Kelly Diggle’s four-year-old son, Henry, couldn’t sit up or speak, she knew something was terribly wrong. What began as a typical case of chickenpox—an illness many parents dismiss as a harmless childhood rite of passage—rapidly escalated into a life-threatening emergency. Doctors soon discovered the virus had triggered dangerous swelling in Henry’s brain.

Q: How serious can chickenpox be?
A: While usually mild, chickenpox can, in rare cases, lead to severe complications like encephalitis (brain swelling), meningitis, and even stroke. These complications require immediate medical attention and can have lasting effects.

Henry had initially contracted chickenpox at his nursery in Somerset, and after about a week of the characteristic spots and symptoms, he seemed to be recovering. But in February 2019, his condition took a dramatic turn. “He couldn’t walk, he couldn’t talk, he couldn’t sit up, he couldn’t go to the bathroom by himself,” Diggle recalled. “We’d gone from a very bright, articulate, happy and very active little boy to somebody just left in a bed.”

Henry spent 16 days at the Royal United Hospital in Bath receiving antiviral treatment while his parents anxiously waited for signs of recovery. The varicella-zoster virus, responsible for chickenpox, can cause life-threatening complications in a small number of cases—roughly one or two per 10,000 infections.

Professor Benedict Michael, a consultant neurologist at the Walton Centre in Liverpool, describes chickenpox encephalitis as “devastating.” He explains that the virus doesn’t just cause inflammation; it directly infects brain cells and blood vessels.

Even with treatment, more than half—potentially up to three-quarters—of patients who survive encephalitis experience lasting disabilities that impact their daily lives, according to Michael. The new MMRV vaccine offers a crucial layer of protection.

The rollout of the vaccine is being implemented in phases. Children born on or after January 1, 2025, will receive two doses at 12 and 18 months. Those born between July 1, 2024, and December 31, 2024, will get two doses at 18 months and three years and four months. A catch-up program is also planned for children born between January 1, 2020, and August 31, 2022.

NHS England estimates the vaccine will save the NHS £15 million annually and prevent £24 million in lost income and productivity due to parents taking time off work to care for sick children.

However, concerns remain about vaccine hesitancy. Uptake of routine childhood immunizations in the UK has been declining, with nearly one in five children starting primary school last September lacking full protection against serious infectious diseases. In 2024-25, no routine childhood vaccine met the World Health Organization’s 95% uptake target for herd immunity.

Diggle, now 41, is sharing her son’s story to encourage parents to vaccinate their children. “Why take the gamble?” she asked. “If the impact had just been those few weeks when he was really unwell, I would still think the vaccine is worth it. But we’re almost seven years down the line, and we’re still affected by what happened.”

While Henry, now 11, has recovered, the experience left lasting emotional scars and required ongoing support. His younger brother, Freddie, contracted chickenpox from Henry and received antiviral treatment but isn’t eligible for the vaccine, leaving Diggle worried about future infections.

The chickenpox vaccine has been available privately for years at a cost of around £150 for a full course. Diggle added, “If I’d known that chickenpox could change the course of our entire lives as a family, I would have absolutely taken up that vaccine at a cost.”

Jim Kirby, 35, also emphasizes the importance of vaccination. Six years ago, he developed shingles—a reactivation of the varicella-zoster virus—after previously having chickenpox as a child. The virus localized near his spine and traveled to his brain, causing encephalitis and meningitis. He now lives with a severe acquired brain injury, experiencing daily memory loss and cognitive deficits.

“I am a walking void of who I was,” Kirby said. “One day I was teaching people how to care for others. And then the next day I was a person needing care for the rest of my life.”

According to the latest data, half of children contract chickenpox by age four, and 90% by age ten, typically resulting in five days of absence from school or nursery.

Michael fears misinformation and delays in vaccination could hinder the program’s success. “The rollout of the vaccine is absolutely huge,” he said. “This will save lives and it will save a lot of children growing up with lifelong irreversible brain injury.” He added, “We’re all concerned in the field with what we’ve seen over quite a few years now [with vaccine hesitancy]. It was accelerated by the pandemic, but we were seeing it before then.”

Michael dismissed common myths, such as the idea that children receive too many vaccines, stating that the human body is constantly exposed to bacteria and viruses. He also urged parents to avoid “chickenpox parties,” calling them a practice “consigned to the Victorian era.”

Diggle’s message is clear: don’t underestimate the risks. “I would recommend people take it up,” she said. “Encephalitis is not the only risk that’s associated with chickenpox. It’s the one we know. But we’ve heard plenty of stories since it happened to us of people affected. You just don’t know how something could affect your child.”

Henry’s chickenpox triggered dangerous swelling in his brain

Chickenpox Symptoms

• Itchy, spotty rash anywhere on the body, often accompanied by a high temperature, aches, pains, and loss of appetite. Those infected should stay away from school or work until all spots have formed a scab.
• Treat at home with fluids, paracetamol (not ibuprofen), cooling creams, and antihistamines. Bathe in cool water and avoid rubbing the skin.

The Vaccine

• Contact your GP if you think you or a family member should receive the vaccine. It’s offered to children aged 12 and 18 months as part of routine measles, mumps, and rubella jabs.
• Side effects are typically mild, including a high temperature, rash, swelling, or pain at the injection site. Severe allergic reactions are rare.

Parents of teenagers who haven’t had chickenpox should discuss vaccination options with their GP. It’s available privately and, in some cases, through the NHS.