{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,21]],"date-time":"2026-04-21T06:41:02Z","timestamp":1776753662360,"version":"3.51.2"},"reference-count":28,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"11","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2023,10,27]],"date-time":"2023-10-27T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1698364800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Viruses"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Chickenpox is a common childhood disease caused by varicella-zoster virus (VZV). VZV vaccination is not part of the UK childhood immunisation programme, but its potential inclusion is regularly assessed. It is therefore important to understand the ongoing burden of VZV in the community to inform vaccine policy decisions. General practitioner (GP) chickenpox consultations were studied from 1 September 2016 to 9 December 2022. Over the study period, the mean weekly chickenpox consultation rate per 100,000 population in England was 3.4, with a regular peak occurring between weeks 13 and 15. Overall, rates decreased over time, from a mean weekly rate of 5.5 in 2017 to 4.2 in 2019. The highest mean weekly rates were among children aged 1\u20134 years. There was no typical epidemic peak during the COVID-19 pandemic, but in 2022, rates were proportionally higher among children aged &lt; 1 year old compared to pre-pandemic years. Chickenpox GP consultation rates decreased in England, continuing a longer-term decline in the community. The COVID-19 pandemic impacted rates, likely caused by the introduction of non-pharmaceutical interventions to prevent SARS-CoV-2 transmission. The lasting impact of the interruption of typical disease transmission remains to be seen, but it is important to monitor the chickenpox burden to inform decisions on vaccine programmes.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/v15112163","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2023,10,27]],"date-time":"2023-10-27T11:50:18Z","timestamp":1698407418000},"page":"2163","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":17,"title":["The Epidemiology of Chickenpox in England, 2016\u20132022: An Observational Study Using General Practitioner Consultations"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"15","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9690-6493","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Megan","family":"Bardsley","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Real-Time Syndromic Surveillance Team, Field Services, Health Protection Operations, UK Health Security Agency, Birmingham B2 4BH, UK"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Paul","family":"Loveridge","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Real-Time Syndromic Surveillance Team, Field Services, Health Protection Operations, UK Health Security Agency, Birmingham B2 4BH, UK"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-2623-2120","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Natalia G.","family":"Bednarska","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Real-Time Syndromic Surveillance Team, Field Services, Health Protection Operations, UK Health Security Agency, Birmingham B2 4BH, UK"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1066-5175","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Sue","family":"Smith","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Real-Time Syndromic Surveillance Team, Field Services, Health Protection Operations, UK Health Security Agency, Birmingham B2 4BH, UK"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-8543-477X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Roger A.","family":"Morbey","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Real-Time Syndromic Surveillance Team, Field Services, Health Protection Operations, UK Health Security Agency, Birmingham B2 4BH, UK"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-2078-0975","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Gayatri","family":"Amirthalingam","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Immunisation and Vaccine Preventable Diseases Division, UK Health Security Agency, London NW9 5EQ, UK"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-8630-1378","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"William H.","family":"Elson","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford OX2 6ED, UK"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-0113-2593","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Chris","family":"Bates","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"TPP SystmOne, Leeds LS18 5PX, UK"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-8553-2641","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Simon","family":"de Lusignan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford OX2 6ED, UK"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4325-4786","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Daniel","family":"Todkill","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Real-Time Syndromic Surveillance Team, Field Services, Health Protection Operations, UK Health Security Agency, Birmingham B2 4BH, UK"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6414-3065","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Alex J.","family":"Elliot","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Real-Time Syndromic Surveillance Team, Field Services, Health Protection Operations, UK Health Security Agency, Birmingham B2 4BH, UK"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2023,10,27]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1900233","DOI":"10.2807\/1560-7917.ES.2019.24.42.1900233","article-title":"Burden of varicella complications in secondary care, England, 2004 to 2017","volume":"24","author":"Bernal","year":"2019","journal-title":"Eurosurveillance"},{"key":"ref_2","unstructured":"WHO (2014). 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