Information on Chickenpox Vaccine (Varivax)

(adapted from HSE web site)

The chickenpox (varicella) vaccine provides protection against the varicella zoster virus that causes chickenpox.

The chickenpox vaccine is not part of the routine childhood vaccination schedule. The vaccine is currently only offered to people who are particularly vulnerable to chickenpox.

The vaccine does not contain thiomersal (mercury) however as it is a “live” vaccine containing a weakened form of the virus, side effects are more common than with some other vaccines (see below).

Groups at risk from chickenpox

Chickenpox is a common childhood infection. In most cases the symptoms are mild and complications are rare. Almost all children develop immunity to chickenpox after infection, so only catch it once. The disease can be more severe in adults.

Certain groups of people are at greater risk of serious complications from chickenpox. These include people who have weakened immune systems through illness, such as HIV, or through treatment, such as chemotherapy.

Chickenpox can be very serious for an unborn baby when a pregnant woman catches the infection. It can cause a range of serious birth defects as well as severe disease in the baby when it is born.

How the vaccine works

The chickenpox vaccine contains a small amount of the live weakened varicella zoster virus.

The vaccine causes your immune system to produce antibodies that will help protect against chickenpox.

The vaccine is recommended for individuals who are likely to come into contact with people in the ‘at-risk’ groups. This is to reduce the risk of the individuals spreading the infection to those at risk.

For example, if you were having chemotherapy treatment, it would be recommended that non-immune children be given the chickenpox vaccination. Or if you were about to start work in a radiotherapy department and you had no previous history of chickenpox, the vaccine would be recommended.

How effective is the vaccine?

It has been shown that 9 out of 10 children vaccinated with a single dose will develop immunity against chickenpox. A two-dose schedule is now recommended for all, as it gives a better immune response.

Three-quarters of teenagers and adults who are vaccinated with two doses will develop immunity against chickenpox.

If the chickenpox vaccination is required, two doses are given with four to eight weeks between the doses. The doses are injected underneath the skin.

Who should have it

Healthcare workers

The chickenpox vaccination is recommended for healthcare workers who have no previous history of chickenpox. If you are uncertain whether you have had chickenpox in the past, contact your GP or occupational health department. A blood test will be used to check if you are immune to the disease.

Healthcare workers include anyone who is likely to come into contact with a patient, including medical and nursing staff and other workers such as:

• hospital cleaners
• hospital catering staff
• ambulance staff
• hospital or GP receptionists

Close contact with vulnerable people 

The chickenpox vaccination is also recommended for anyone who has no previous history of chickenpox and is likely to come into close contact with a person who has a weakened immune system.

If you think that you or a member of your family or household needs a vaccination, contact your GP for advice.

Children with severe disabilities living in residential units

The chickenpox vaccination is recommended for children with severe disabilities who never had chickenpox if they are living in special residential units.

Women of childbearing age

If you are a woman of childbearing age and think you never had chickenpox you should contact your GP for advice regarding vaccination. Vaccination is recommended for non-immune women of this age.

Who should not have it

People who have a weakened immune system should consult a doctor about whether or not they should have the vaccine.

The chickenpox vaccine should not be given to people who have experienced an anaphylactic reaction (serious allergic reaction) to a previous dose of the vaccine or to any of the ingredients used in the vaccine. If you are unsure whether this applies to you, ask your GP.

The chickenpox vaccine should not be given to pregnant women. If you are receiving the vaccine, do not become pregnant for three months after the last dose.

Vaccination is not recommended for people who are seriously unwell. It should be delayed until they recover.

Side Effects of the vaccine

The most common side effect of the chickenpox vaccine is soreness and redness around the site of the injection.

This side effect develops in around one in five children and one in four teenagers and adults.

A mild rash may occur in 1 in 10 children and 1 in 20 adults.

Serious side effects, such as anaphylaxis (a serious allergic reaction), are rare. They occur in less than 1 in 100,000 vaccination cases.

Other recognised side effects of the vaccine include Fever, upper respiratory infection, irritability and rash

Though the varicella vaccine is not part of the routine childhood immunisation schedule it is in other countries, such as the US and Germany.

Millions of doses of the vaccine have been given and there is no evidence of any increased risk of developing a long-term health condition as a result of the vaccination.

October 2015

Sincere thanks to all those who signed our petition to reopen Glenalbyn Swimming Pool. We got over 600 signatures! The petition will now be sent to local politicians and to Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council. We still await the report of the sub group of local councillors set to examine the issue of the closure and re-opening of the pool. However because the terms of reference were drafted to make the group look at the broader issue of the provision of amenities in the greater area we don’t expect the report from this group to change anything. Please contact your local TD or councillor yourself if you wish to see the pool reopened.

Glenalbyn swimming pool has served the needs of our community in Kilmacud, Stillorgan and surrounding areas for over 40 years. Many of us have learned to swim there and there is little doubt that over the years it has saved many from drowning and improved the health and fitness of our community. The pool however is under threat and at risk of being shut down permanently by Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council. It was shut down for repair work in Autumn 2013 and was due to be re-opened once these were completed. Unfortunately the council appear now to have decided to spend the money ear marked for this project elsewhere and it is very possible that our pool will be permanently closed. This would be a huge loss to our community and in particular the children attending our local schools.

We are running a petition at Kilmacud Medical Centre asking the council to spend the money on the repair of the pool and re-open it without further delay. We urge to you to support this campaign by signing our petition and by contact your local representatives seeking the re-opening of our swimming pool.

We welcome Dr Peter Joyce the practice. Peter is a 4th year GP registrar on the TCD/HSE Vocational Training Programme for General Practice. He comes with a wealth of experience from his years as a hospital doctor and has been working in another GP practice over the past year. Peter replaces Dr Aimee Murphy who has moved on to another practice having competed the training programme. She will be greatly missed by patients and staff and we wish her all the best for the future.

Following further discussion with our representative bodies the GPs at Kilmacud Medical Centre will now be participating in the new Under 6 GP scheme.

We now have a display cabinet in the waiting room of KMC showing a number of old medical artefacts including medical equipment, drugs and books. These were owned and used by former doctors associated with the practice including Dr. Aiden Meade, Dr. Betty Warde and Dr. Cyril Warde. We are indebted to Paul and Mary Warde the son and daughter of Cyril and Betty who donated some of these to the practice following the recent death of Dr. Cyril Warde.

Why not come and take a look the next time you have occasion to visit the practice?

Spring is in the air but so too is the pollen which for some people can bring weeks or months of misery this time of the year. Hay fever is caused by a hypersensitivity reaction to pollen. In March and April this is usually tree pollen but later in the year a whole variety of pollens are around including grass pollens to which many are allergic. The common symptoms include sneezing, runny nose, itchy red eyes and feeling generally unwell. Happily there are lots of effective treatments available now and we are happy to discuss and prescribe these for you.

Some general tips for those with only mild symptoms are as follows

• Stay indoors and shut the windows when pollen counts are high
• Avoid cutting the grass, camping and exposure to large areas of grass if you are sensitive to grass pollen
• Wrap around sun glasses can help keep pollen out of your eyes
• When driving, keep your car windows closed and consider buying a pollen filter for your air vents

With temperatures dropping over the past few weeks elderly people are particularly at risk of Hypothermia. Large number of young Irish people are emigrating for work and our elderly people are often left alone and unable to cope in bad weather conditions.

If you know an elderly person living alone, please call on them to see if they are OK. A prolonged spell of bad weather can leave an elderly person without food and at risk of hypothermia. Those with Alzheimer’s Disease, Cardiovascular Disease or poor mobility are particularly at risk. In Kilmacud and Stillorgan we have one of the highest concentration of people over 70 so most of us will have at least one person over 70 living alone near to us.

Free GP Care for under sixes is not likely to happen for the foreseeable future despite promises made by our Junior Minister of Health, Alex White. With all of the GP organisations against the terms of a new contract which the Department is attempting to bring in without any negotiations, it is hard to see how any progress can be made. While the majority of GPs are in favour of free GP care for children it can not be delivered without additional resources. At present GP practices are struggling to provide high quality services in the face or repeated cuts to practice payments for medical card patients. This practice has seen a drop of over 50% in income for the care of medical card patients since 2006.

f you are between 25 and 60 and have not had a cervical smear you can get one done for free under the HSE Cervical Check programme. The test is very simple and can help diagnose early cervical cancer. To register for a cervical smear, just login in to the cervical check website and provide your details including your PPS number. If you haven’t time to do this we will be happy to register for you once you provide us with your PPS number.

To get the smear done just make an appointment with us telling the receptionist it is for a cervical smear. Alternatively request an appointment using the link from this web site.

Results of smear tests are available within 4 weeks. You will contacted either by our practice or the cervical check programme.

To find out more about cervical check and cervical smears click the link to this video.