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Fever, fatigue and itching, red rash all over the body. The symptoms of chickenpox are increasingly difficult with age, but they can be avoided in the future if the vaccine against the disease is offered free of charge to all children and adolescents.
– The benefits are of course to avoid the burden of illness. Chickenpox in principle affects everyone in Sweden. Usually it is a mild illness. But 300 to 400 cases a year must be hospitalized in young people, and then about half as much hospitalized in the elderly, says Adam Roth, head of the immunization programs unit of the Public Health Authority. at TT.
He keeps on:
– Among all mild cases, there are many cases where someone must stay at home with a sick child. An effective vaccine can prevent many things.
Ethical and economic
The investigation of the public health authority is ongoing since the spring of 2018 and this year, officials will present their findings and proposals to the table of the Ministry of Social Affairs. Then it is up to the government to take a stand on the issue.
– We examine three main criteria. This is because vaccination must effectively prevent the burden of disease. Then it must be socially viable and ethically viable, says Adam Roth.
TT: Are the disadvantages mainly socio-economic or are there medical risks with a varicella vaccine?
– That's what the investigation will show, so I do not quite see it. We have very high requirements for a vaccine that should be included in a national program. The advantage must therefore take into account the risks.
"Effective vaccine"
In other countries, these investigations have come to different conclusions. For example, in the United States, all children have been vaccinated since 1995 against chickenpox. The number of reported cases of the disease decreased by 82% between 2000 and 2010, according to a report from the public health authority.
– It's an effective vaccine. If you vaccinate with two doses, you eliminate the circulation of chickenpox in society, explains Adam Roth.
The Public Health Authority should present its recommendation on the vaccine for the summer.
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