Routine vaccines would end ‘chickenpox parties’

POX parties could be rendered a thing of the past if a chickenpox jab were added to the NHS vaccination schedule, experts have said.

Research suggests that about three quarters of parents would support routine immunisation against chickenpox during childhood. The findings, published in the journal Vaccine, are based on survey results from about 600 parents, assessing their attitudes to the jab.

The researchers said making chickenpox jabs routinely available would mean parents will no longer need to use “chickenpox parties”. Helen Bedford, the study co-author and professor of children’s health at University College London, said that exposing children to the virus is not advisable, adding: “Parents expose their children to chickenpox to make sure they catch the infection while they are young. This is sometimes done at ‘chickenpox parties’. However, some children exposed in this way may have a severe attack.”