Varilrix

Use with caution in

- Severe skin disorders, such as severe eczema

Not to be used in

- Allergy to other varicella vaccines
- Allergy to the antibiotic neomycin
- Breastfeeding
- Children less than 1 year of age
- People who are or who have recently received treatment that suppresses the activity of the immune system, eg long-term oral corticosteroids, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, medicines to prevent transplant rejection
- People whose immune systems have a decreased ability to fight infection and disease, eg due to diseases such as leukaemia, lymphoma, HIV infection or immunodeficiency syndromes
- Pregnancy
- Sudden severe feverish illness

This medicine should not be used if you are allergic to one or any of its ingredients. Please inform your doctor or pharmacist if you have previously experienced such an allergy. If you feel you have experienced an allergic reaction, stop using this medicine and inform your doctor or pharmacist immediately.

Pregnancy and Breastfeeding

Certain medicines should not be used during pregnancy or breastfeeding. However, other medicines may be safely used in pregnancy or breastfeeding providing the benefits to the mother outweigh the risks to the unborn baby. Always inform your doctor if you are pregnant or planning a pregnancy, before using any medicine.

- The safety of this vaccine during pregnancy has not been established and it must not be administered to pregnant women because of the unknown risk to the mother and foetus. Women who receive this vaccine should use contraceptive measures to prevent pregnancy occuring between the two vaccine doses, and for three months following the second dose.
- The infants of women who have not had chickenpox will not have acquired immunity to chickenpox from their mothers. Breastfeeding mothers should therefore not be given this vaccine, as there may be a risk of the vaccine strain of the virus being transmitted to the infant through the breast milk, causing infection.

Side effects

Medicines and their possible side effects can affect individual people in different ways. The following are some of the side effects that are known to be associated with this medicine. Because a side effect is stated here, it does not mean that all people using this medicine will experience that or any side effect.

- Headache
- Rash
- Fatigue
- Fever (pyrexia)
- Dizziness
- Inflammation of the throat (pharyngitis)
- Itching (pruritis)
- Inflammation of the lining of the nose (rhinitis) causing a blocked or runny nose
- Cough
- Chest pain
- A general feeling of being unwell (malaise)
- Pain in the muscles and joints
- Pain, swelling, redness and hardening of the skin at the injection site

The side effects listed above may not include all of the side effects reported by the drug's manufacturer. For more information about any other possible risks associated with this medicine, please read the information provided with the medicine or consult your doctor or pharmacist.