I just found out that children are not routinely vaccinated against chickenpox in England. It is believed that giving children the vaccine could increase the risk of shingles in older people. Most people who grow up in England get the disease as kids so they are immune as adults. Naturally, some kids at the American school that Lexi goes to are now getting chickenpox.
Some American friends here that are moving back to the States were at their GP's surgery (translation: General Practitioner's office) recently. They were trying to explain why the school they are transferring to only requires the younger kids to get the chickenpox shot (or "jab" as they say here) and not the oldest kid. The school has a "grandfather clause" which exempts the older kids from the vaccine. The doctor had never heard the term "grandfathered".
Even after living here almost two years, I still discover subtle differences that remind me I'm not in my home country.
I had Chicken Pox when young. A recent TV news segment on Shingles makes me glad I had the pox. Shingles can be very painful and doesn't go away! If having Chicken Pox makes you immune to Shingles, I'm glad.
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