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barbsy · Super Member Joined: 19 Jun 2007 Posts: 570

The researchers are investigating whether a vaccine should be combined with MMR to create a new multijab.

Would you give your child the one in four jab? Join the debate

The proposal is highly controversial because a chickenpox vaccine could cause thousands of adults to develop the painful condition shingles later in life.

Some campaigners also warn there is a danger of children becoming "over-vaccinated".

The Government revealed yesterday that it had asked the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation to investigate whether a mass roll-out is necessary.

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A Department of Health spokesman said: "The work is at a very early stage. The committee considers a wide variety of issues around vaccination and immunisation.

"Any recommendation to make a change to the programme is only put forward after a lengthy and thorough consideration of all the evidence."

Chickenpox is a highly-contagious virus and more than nine in 10 children have had it by the age of 15.

Its effects are usually mild in children although in rare cases it can cause death from toxic shock syndrome and pneumonia.

Earlier this summer five-yearold Christopher Rixon from south west London died from chickenpox. He was taken to hospital with breathing difficulties after developing complications.

It is more serious in adulthood and is particularly dangerous if caught by pregnant women because it can give their baby brain damage and blindness. The disease causes about 20 deaths in Britain every year.

The chickenpox vaccine is routine in the US but experts in the UK say any benefits must be weighed against the possibility that it could cause shingles in adults.

Shingles is caused by the reactivation in the body of the chickenpox virus which has been dormant since childhood.

It manifests itself as a headache, fever with a tingling sensation and is normally accompanied by a characteristic rash. The committee is also considering whether to vaccinate adults against shingles.

Children are recommended to have 13 jabs up to the age of 18 - ten of them before the age of two.

The Government has also given the go-ahead to a vaccine against the HPV virus which can cause cervical cancer in later life. Jackie Fletcher of the anti-MMR campaign group JABS said adding chickenpox to the mix would be one too many.

"The fear has to be that another jab would overload vulnerable children," she said.

"It is a benign illness in most children and there is a danger that if a vaccine is introduced it could push chickenpox into adulthood when it could be far more serious."

She added: "We have enough problems with the MMR vaccine and more studies should be carried out on that before we even think about introducing another vaccine."

Two weeks ago the Health Protection Agency issued an unprecedented plea to parents to have the MMR jab after a sharp rise in the number of children catching measles.

Take-up of the controversial vaccine, which also protects against mumps and rubella, or German measles, slumped after Dr Andrew Wakefield linked it to autism.

But his claims were rubbished by the medical community and he is now facing being struck off by the General Medical Council.

pixie · Site Admin Joined: 16 Jun 2007 Posts: 1979

Mine are going nowhere near that. They have had Chicken Pox and it is a mild disease in healthy children.

Shingles can be very nasty. I've had a mild does of it and that was'nt too bad but a lot of older people can get it and it can be nasty.

barbsy · Super Member Joined: 19 Jun 2007 Posts: 570

i had shingles, really uncomfortable. i certainly would not want my children to have any more jabs. they both had chickenpox and ok so they scratched but they werent too bad with it.

barbs

pixie · Site Admin Joined: 16 Jun 2007 Posts: 1979

I think the main problem is with adults getting Chicken Pox as hubby had it when the kids did and he was so ill he nearly ended up in hospital.
He didn't have it as a child.

You can get Chicken Pox more than once as well so I don't see how the jab will help.

Speeds · Posted: Sun Sep 16, 2007 12:14 pm Post subject:

I work in clinical research and as such have seen trials on children with a 6 combination vaccine in Germany.

I am not unhappy with giving combined vaccines so I would be for it - with the correct research.
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pixie · Site Admin Joined: 16 Jun 2007 Posts: 1979

I wish I had researched more in the past but computers were rare in the home when my eldest were young and I gave them everything going to protect them.
Most I don't regret but some I do.

Strangley enough I'm not talking about MMR here but the HIB vaccine for my son and Measles for my daughter.
In total my daughter had 5 vaccines to protect her from Measles. (She also had Measles 3 times, diagnosed by the GP)
2 Measles jabs (pre MMR) 2 MMR and 1 MR.

When it comes down to it, it is a matter of personal choice and my choice would be to research the net and make an informed decision based on what I managed to find out.

I guess I'm lucky now as I don't have to make the choices, my daughter is 21 and my son 15 so my daughter will decide for herself and my son would be given all the info (balanced of course) that I could find to help him decide.

Do you know some good places to look up the research Speeds, would appreciate any links you have.