The NHS currently offers a chickenpox vaccination to certain vulnerable groups, protecting those who are most at risk.
Cyncoed Pharmacy Chickenpox Vaccination Service is available to those aged 1 to 64 years old seeking protection from the chickenpox virus, including those who are eligible through the NHS but choose a private vaccination service.
If our Chickenpox Vaccination Service is suitable, you’ll receive two vaccinations at a minimum of six weeks apart. If you, or your child, had a first dose of chickenpox vaccination at a different provider, you can still have your second dose at Cyncoed Pharmacy, providing you meet all the eligibility criteria for the service.
Chickenpox is a contagious disease that’s caused by the Varicella zoster virus.
Chickenpox can spread through sneezing, coughing and touching someone with chickenpox.
After someone has had chickenpox, the virus ‘sleeps’ in their nerve cells. The virus can ‘wake up’ up at a later stage and cause shingles. People with shingles can also spread the virus and cause chickenpox.
Symptoms of chickenpox
Symptoms usually start appearing 2-3 weeks after infection with chickenpox virus.
In children, the first symptoms are usually a general feeling of tiredness, along with fever loss of appetite and swollen glands. Over the next 1-2 days, a rash breaks out.
At first, this rash appears as spots that appear brown, purple or grey on darker skin and red on lighter skin. The spots develop into crops of small blisters over the chest, back, tummy or face. These soon appear on the rest of the body. The blisters are extremely itchy, and new ones form as older ones scab over. Most scabs crust over after a week, but they can take several weeks to fall off.
Scarring can happen if children scratch the blisters or scabs, or the sores get infected.
Chickenpox symptoms tend to be much milder in children than in adults.
Chickenpox is contagious from 2 days before the rash appears until all blisters have formed scabs and are completely dry. This usually takes around a week.
Medical help for chickenpox symptoms or contact with chickenpox
You should take your child to the GP IF you think your child might have chickenpox.
You should also talk with your GP if your child is in one of a high-risk groups above and has been in contact with someone who could have chickenpox.
Pregnant women are also at risk and should see a GP.
