Arie was six years old when he was
admitted to hospital after becoming
lethargic and struggling to walk and
talk. His chickenpox had become
infected, spreading to his brain as part
of a rare condition.
>> You don't even realize how dangerous it
actually can be. And his doctor turned
around and said he was basically a one
in 22,000 to have actually got it. When
I see people saying that it's not
dangerous or you need to have chickenp
parties, it's not funny really because
they don't realize how dangerous it
could be and that it could actually kill
your child.
>> Ari's now 16. He's just passed his
GCSEs. His mom welcomes news of a
vaccine, but wishes it came earlier.
>> Should have been done years ago. Yeah,
if they can prevent it, they should do
it.
>> Chickenpox is highly contagious, a viral
infection with symptoms including an
itchy, spotty rash and a high
temperature. It's common in children,
but people can get it at any age. For
most, it's mild, but sometimes can lead
to severe health complications like
swelling of the brain or lung
inflammation.
>> People get this false idea into their
minds that chickenpox is a really
trivial illness. Whereas for a minority,
but a significant minority of children,
uh they end up in hospital with serious
bacterial infections, with pneumonia,
even with brain injuries as a result of
this infection. So actually chickenpox
can be very serious.
>> Until now, the vaccine has only been
available privately at a cost of around
£150.
It's already part of immunization
programs in countries like Germany,
Australia, and the United States. And
now from January, it will be available
here on the NHS for babies in two doses
at 12 and 18 months as part of the
measles, MS, and reubella vaccine. The
hope is that it will cut cases, reduce
hospital admissions, and save parents
from taking time off work to care for
sick children. But there are challenges
as uptake of the measles, mumps, and
reubella vaccine among young children
continues to wne. It's at the lowest
level in 15 years. For Ari, chickenpox
was so severe, it nearly killed him. The
hope for public health experts is that
the vaccine will now help prevent that
happening to others. Molly Malone, Sky
News.