What are some optional extra vaccines?

Meningococcal C, an expensive optional vaccine but one that is worth considering. The disease is very nasty, with flu-like symptoms that worsen within hours, including muscular pain, fever, a stiff neck and an aversion to bright lights. The disease then develops a serious red or purple rash and can quickly become fatal. There is not currently an epidemic strain of this disease in New Zealand, but it could be accidentally imported.

(Varicella or chickenpox) begins with a freckly spotty rash that turns into small blisters over the entire body, even including the inside of the mouth and inside the vagina. As the blisters dry they become itchy. The number of blisters can vary from just a few to hundreds. If a person has not experienced chickenpox in childhood, then a vaccine could be well worthwhile, as chickenpox in adolescence or adulthood can be far more serious than in childhood.