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Superdrug has become the first high street retailer to offer a chickenpox vaccination service in selected Health Clinics across the UK.
Currently, the vaccine is not part of the standard childhood immunization schedule in the UK and is only available through the NHS to individuals who pose a high risk of spreading the virus to vulnerable groups, like healthcare workers.
Chickenpox is a common childhood illness caused by the highly contagious Varicella Zoster virus. It frequently affects children, particularly those in primary school, with nearly 8 million children aged 1 to 10 in the UK contracting the disease.
While generally mild for most, chickenpox can be unpleasant, especially in school-aged children, causing symptoms like an itchy rash, blisters, fever, tiredness, nausea, headache, muscle pain, and loss of appetite.
In most cases, symptoms ease after about a week, but for individuals with weakened immune systems, newborns, and pregnant women, chickenpox can pose serious health risks.
Typically, a person gains lifetime immunity after contracting chickenpox. However, adults who did not have the disease as children may experience more severe cases, with potential complications like pneumonia, hepatitis, and encephalitis.
The chickenpox virus spreads through contact with contaminated surfaces or objects or close contact with an infected individual. Individuals become contagious one to two days before a rash appears and remain infectious until all blisters have crusted.
The vaccination costs £65 per dose, with a two-dose series, spaced four to eight weeks apart, recommended for stronger immunity. The NHS notes that one dose provides immunity for 90% of vaccinated children.
The vaccination service is now available in 58 Superdrug Health Clinics. For appointments, visit healthclinics.superdrug.com.
