Dave...do you mean the vaccine or the disease? We have chickenpox = outbreaks in the UK but I have never heard of a chickenpox vaccine being = used in a preventative programme!!!! Wait....I have just Googled and it = appears that there was some talk about it in 2002 but it looks like it = may have been sidelined for now....too many concerns raised about = efficacy or perhaps not considered financially viable for the NHS....LOL =
There is "no" enforced vaccine programme in the UK but most parents = generally vaccinate against Diptheria, Polio and Tetanus, MMR and I = think they now do HIB, followed by a booster pre-school and Smallpox in = teens. Mine's had everything but the HIB, which was not available when = they were small! They all had Measles, Mumps, German Measles (Rubella) = and Chickenpox as children...so as far as vaccine goes it would have = appeared to be useless and I wouldn't say their symptoms were any less = severe either.=20
The only one of mine that had Pertussis vaccination developed Whooping = Cough about a year after vaccination. The two boys.....unvaccinated..... = were unaffected although they were in physical contact with their = sister! Knowing what I know now I doubt if they would have been = vaccinated, or at the very least I would have held out for single dose = vaccination for some illnesses and abandoned others completely! IMO = using multiple antigens in a adjuvant such as mercury, aluminium = hydroxide, aluminium phosphate or calcium phosphate in very small = children with under developed immune systems is highly questionable!!!! = Until independant research (not funded by the vaccine companies) is = carried out I will continue to have many concerns over vaccines!
My understanding of immunity is that the only way to be "truly" immune = to a disease is through direct exposure and unless someone has a = "compromised" immune system they would have lifelong immunity and be = unlikely to contract the disease again. People who contract shingles = would generally have missed out on chicken pox in childhood, have = incomplete immunity from a vaccine programme, or be suffering from some = other health problem that has affected their immunity!=20
There is another major issue that seldom is gets mentioned and it is = that vaccines are produced by using the original bacteria/virus which is = then "modified" to weaken the effect, i.e. that is why babies often have = mild symptoms after these vaccinations. This modified live vaccine is = then used in vaccine programmes but they fail to tell folks that the = recipients will shed weakened forms of the virus into their environment = for weeks after vaccination. This shed MLV may in turn affect the = unvaccinated or those with weakened immunity, i.e. cancer patients. Here = endith the science lesson....ROFL!!!!