An expert scientific committee advising the British government recommended for the first time Tuesday that children should be immunized with the chickenpox vaccine -- decades after the shots were made widely available in other countries, including the U.S., Canada and Australia.
In Britain, those who want to be immunized against the disease have to pay about 150 pounds (US US$184).
In a statement, Britain's Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation said that children between one year and 18 months should be offered two doses of the vaccine, in a shot that also combines protection against measles, mumps and rubella.
"For some babies, young children and even adults, chickenpox or its complications can be very serious, resulting in hospitalization and even death," said Andrew Pollard, chair of the expert vaccine group in a statement.
Pollard said that "decades of evidence" of the vaccine's effectiveness from other countries demonstrate the vaccine's safety; the U.S. was the first country to introduce an immunization program against chickenpox in 1995.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention describes chickenpox cases in the country as "rare," estimating there are fewer than 150,000 cases and 30 deaths every year.
British experts have previously estimated there are more than 650,000 cases of chickenpox in England and Wales.
Chickenpox is a highly infectious disease that mostly affects children and can cause an itchy rash, blisters and fever. Symptoms usually last about a week, but in rare cases, the virus can lead to pneumonia, encephalitis and even death. Two doses of the vaccine offer more than 90 per cent protection against the disease.
The chickenpox vaccine recommendation will next be considered by the government.
Britain's National Health Service has long said that introducing the chickenpox vaccine might leave some adults vulnerable to shingles, if unvaccinated children catch the virus as adults, which can be more severe than chickenpox.
Experts noted, however, that Britain's government offers the shingles vaccine to adults at risk of the disease.
Dr. Gayatri Amirthalingam, deputy director of public health programs at Britain's Health Security Agency, said the new chickenpox vaccine recommendations would "help make chickenpox a problem of the past."
A $2.14-billion federal loan for an Ottawa-based satellite operator has Canadian politicians arguing about whether American billionaire Elon Musk poses a national security risk.
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A northern Ontario man is facing a $12,000 fine after illegally shooting a moose near the Batchawan River.
A body has been found in the vicinity where a woman went missing on the Ottawa River near Pembroke, Ont. while kayaking Tuesday night, according to the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP).
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Donald Trump returned to North Carolina on Saturday, stumping in the southern battleground state with direct appeals to women, claiming he would be a better champion for them than U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, who is vying to become the first female president.
Sheba, a 50-year-old seal at the Cornish Seal Sanctuary in southwest England, has far surpassed the average lifespan for seals and could be the oldest in captivity in the world.
The more Chelsea Walsh talked to the eccentric fellow American who seemed to pop up in every square and cobblestone street of Ukraine's capital, the more she got creeped out.
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The Lebanese militant group Hezbollah announced that it fired a barrage of missiles at a military base deep inside Israel early Sunday following an Israeli airstrike more than a day earlier that killed at least 37 people, including one of the militant group’s senior leaders as well as women and children.
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Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly says close to 45,000 Canadians are in Lebanon, months after warning there is no guarantee Ottawa can evacuate them if the situation deteriorates further.
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The owner of the shuttered Three Mile Island nuclear power plant said Friday that it plans to restart the reactor under a 20-year agreement that calls for tech giant Microsoft to buy the power to supply its data centers with carbon-free energy.
Lebanese authorities on Thursday banned walkie-talkies and pagers from being taken on flights from Beirut airport, the National News Agency reported, after thousands of such devices exploded during a deadly attack on Hezbollah this week.
Kathryn Crosby, who appeared in such movies as 'The 7th Voyage of Sinbad', 'Anatomy of a Murder,' and 'Operation Mad Ball' before marrying famed singer and Oscar-winning actor Bing Crosby, has died. She was 90.fff
'Saturday Night Live' will have a slew of famous faces to help kick off its historic 50th season when the show returns later this month.
The death of the Tragically Hip’s lead singer Gord Downie united fans across Canada in their grief, but in many ways pulled his bandmates apart.
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The maker of the popular party game Cards Against Humanity is accusing Elon Musk's SpaceX of trespassing on and damaging a plot of vacant land the company owns in Texas.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency says a recall of Nutrabolics brand Feed Me Vegan Real Food Protein & Oats bars due to undeclared milk has been expanded.
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Jonathan Aranda homered for the second consecutive game, helping Taj Bradley and the Tampa Bay Rays beat the Toronto Blue Jays 3-2 on Saturday.
Kiefer Sherwood spent several nights last spring chasing Quinn Hughes around the ice and generally pestering the Vancouver Canucks.
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General Motors (GM) has issued a recall for 38,000 vehicles for safety risks related to a software glitch, Transport Canada reported in a notice on Wednesday.
Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov has accused Tesla CEO Elon Musk of 'remotely disabling' his Cybertruck, which had been sent to the frontline of Russia's war in Ukraine.
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Cole Haas is more than just an avid fan of the F.W. Johnson Wildcats football team. He's a fixture on the sidelines, a source of encouragement, and a beloved member of the team.
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An anonymous business owner paid off the mortgage for a New Brunswick not-for-profit.
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The search for a missing ancient 28-year-old chocolate donkey ended with a tragic discovery Wednesday.
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The St. Clair College golf teams were successful at the Niagara Knights Invitational tournament on Friday.
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Lethbridge County has rescinded its fire restriction as a result of the recent cool, wet weathr.
The Lethbridge Hurricanes kicked off the 2024-25 season on a winning note Friday night, defeating the Edmonton Oil Kings 3-1 in a game played at VisitLethbridge.com Arena.
A northern Ontario man is facing a $12,000 fine after illegally shooting a moose near the Batchawan River.
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Newfoundland and Labrador's chief medical officer is monitoring the rise of whooping cough infections across the province as cases of the highly contagious disease continue to grow across Canada.
A 16-year-old biennial event aimed at fostering business in the country's eastern Arctic and northern regions has been cancelled indefinitely as a dispute unfolds between Inuit in Canada and a Labrador group claiming to share their heritage.
Jim Lester’s farm hopped on the cow-cuddling trend in early August, and his time slots have been pretty well sold out ever since.
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