Vaccine for chickenpox

OH nurses have welcomed the launch in July of the UK’s first vaccine for
chickenpox.

The vaccine, called Varilrix, has been developed by GlaxoSmithKline and is
being aimed at adults, especially healthcare workers. It is licensed for people
aged over 13.

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The number of adults contracting chickenpox has been on the increase since
the 1960s and it is estimated one in 10 are not immune. Some 20 adults a year
die from the virus in England and Wales.

Later this year the Department of Health will decide whether the 10 per cent
of healthcare workers who are not immune should be inoculated.