The UK Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunization issued the statement on Tuesday Your first recommendation for immunizing children against chickenpox. The advice marks a milestone in the country’s vaccination policy, decades after other countries, such as the United States, Canada and Australia, have rolled out vaccines widely.

Currently, in the United Kingdom, those wishing to protect themselves against chicken pox will have to shell out around £150 sterling (US$184), reviewed AP.

The committee proposes that children aged between 1 year and 18 months receive two doses of the vaccine, which also provides protection against measles, mumps and rubella. Andrew Pollard, president of the vaccine expert group, highlighted the seriousness of chickenpox and its complications, which can lead to hospitalization and even death.

Pollard supported the recommendation based on “decades of evidence” from other countries showing the vaccine’s safety and effectiveness. The United States, a pioneer in this regard, implemented a vaccination program against chickenpox in 1995, and was successful in describing cases in the country as “rare,” with fewer than 150,000 cases and 30 deaths per year, according to the Centers for Control and Prevention. Disease. Prevention Disease Prevention.

Although experts in the UK estimate there are more than 650,000 cases of chickenpox in England and Wales, the disease is still not part of a widespread vaccination program in the UK. Chickenpox, is highly contagious and mainly affects children, causing symptoms such as an itchy rash, blisters and fever.

Chickenpox can be fatal

Although in most cases, symptoms last for about a week, This virus can cause serious complications such as pneumonia, encephalitis, and even death.. However, two doses of the vaccine provide more than 90% protection against this disease.

In connection with the government’s decision, the British government will consider recommendations for implementing the chickenpox vaccine. The UK’s National Health Service has previously raised concerns about the introduction of the vaccine, arguing that it could leave some adults vulnerable to shingles if unvaccinated children contract the virus as adults.

Shingles, which is more serious than chicken pox, may pose a risk to those who were not immunized in childhood. However, experts highlight that the UK government has offered the shingles vaccine to adults at risk of contracting the disease.

Gayatri Amirthalingam, deputy director of public health programs at the UK’s Health Security Agency, stressed that implementing the new chickenpox vaccine recommendations would be a significant step in eradicating the problem in the future.

With these guidelines, it is hoped that chickenpox will soon become a concern of the past in the UK, and provide an additional layer of protection to the public, especially the youngest groups. The implementation of this measure is also in line with the global trend of strengthening vaccination programs to prevent preventable diseases, thereby marking progress in public health in the country.

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