FHM wants to expand vaccination programs for children

Published 2 October 2024 at 10.18

Domestic. The Public Health Agency has submitted a proposal to the government that vaccination against chicken pox should be included in the general childhood vaccination programme.

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The Public Health Agency stated last spring that vaccination against chicken pox meets the criteria for national vaccination programs. A proposal for introduction has subsequently been submitted for referral to the relevant bodies.

The views that have been received have now been taken into account in a proposal that has been handed over to the government for decision. If the government decides that vaccination against chickenpox should be included in the national child vaccination program, the vaccination will be free of charge.

– Since so many people in Sweden are infected with chickenpox, this proposal will have a big impact. Reducing the burden of disease in society is cost-effective, but also provides important protection to those who cannot vaccinate themselves, for example due to a weakened immune system, says Tina Crafoord, head of the unit for vaccination programs at the Public Health Agency, in a statement.

In the event of a possible decision to introduce a vaccine against chickenpox in the child vaccination program, the Public Health Authority intends to recommend that non-immune older children, up to the age of 18, be vaccinated.

The diseases chickenpox and shingles are both caused by varicella zoster virus. Chickenpox mainly occurs in children and usually heals on its own, but the virus remains in the body. Later in life, the virus can reactivate and cause the painful disease shingles. The Norwegian Public Health Authority has previously drawn up guidance for the regions on vaccination against shingles.