Mumsnet Talk

Oldest ds is nearly 5 and had it a fortnight ago, was really spotty but not too ill. Now youngest ds (2) has it and he is absolutely covered in spots, totally miserable and itchy, hardly able to sleep and trying to claw himself I am doing everything I can to make him more comfortable but I feel so vexed for him! Why on earth don't we routinely vaccinate for it? it can be given in special circumstances, and other countries do it. The nhs website doesn't explain why not. It seems so needless for kids to go through this when there's a vaccine

Apparantly it's because of cost and the increased risk of shingles.

news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/8557236.stm

YANBU

Purely for the risk the disease poses to vulnerable members if the community.

When I last l

sorry

When I last looked in to it though there were reports that the vaccine isn't that effective.

I would choose to take the vaccine if available.

Also, it doesn't convey lifelong immunity (natural infection doesn't always either but is less likely to wear off after 10 years than the vaccine).

It is less dangerous to get CP as a child than as a teenager or adult so it is much better to wait until a child reaches 12-15 years of age and then vaccinate if they haven't caught it rather than vaccinate at age 5 and risk it wearing off just when CP becomes more dangerous or leaving them unprotected later in life when pregnant when it can be a real danger to mother and baby.

I can see why it isn't part of the routine vaccines but it should be much more widely available for young adults who believe they have not had CP already.

In countries where it is part of the routine childhood vaccines, there is often economic motive. A bout of CP in a community can lead to thousnads of lost working days and that is deemed unacceptable. We have different ways of deciding about vaccines.

The vaccine does not cover all strains of chicken pox and others have said there is an increased risk of shingles - so as vaccines go not a particularly effective one.
I am very pro-vaccination, but this is one I would decline.

My daughter had it in the US, its routine there.

Now I'm worried about shingles...

It's not been deemed to be cost effective for the NHS because 90%+ cases are mild enough not to need any medical attention. Countries who do vaccinate do so because of the effect chicken pox has on the economy rather than the health system (all those parents having to take time off work). Also, the vaccine does not confer lifelong immunity, so it increases the risk of pushing what is usually a mild childhood disease into a more vulnerable older demographic. Catching it while young dies give lifelong immunity. As unpleasant as it is for you now, once it's passed you need not worry about your children again. Sorry they're suffering though.

YANBU
Ds1 had them last summer, not too bad. 'This is easy' thought I, 'whats all the big deal about?'

Then DS2 got them. Was totally destroyed, in his eyes, down his throat, totally covered head to toe. Worst 10 days of my life. (And his too, prolly) Finally went to GP when they started to appear around his eyelashes. He was prescribed Zovirax liquid, which either helped or he was just about to turn the corner anyway.

Wouldn't wish a bad dose on anyone...

Should I worry as my DD had a vaccine for it as a baby then?

Cross posts with Tiggytape

The present vaccination schedule is relatively comprehensive, and thusly already quite controversial. Adding another one for chicken pox, which is pretty mild compared to many of the other diseases for which we vaccinate could damage public confidence in the importance of vaccines. And public confidence in vaccines is already very, very low. For example, I've heard my FIL rambling on about "why do the children need a vaccination against meningitis? We never needed that in my day".

When you then consider that a chicken pox vaccine will increase the incidence of shingles among the elderly, it's pretty much a no-brainer.

Unfortunately Lamazeroo you are incorrect catching it as a child only give you protection against the subtype group of the virus which you had there are 5 subgroups (many individual strains in each subgroup) so it is possible to get chickenpox 5 times. This is part of why the vaccine is ineffective.

DS has the vaccine because DD1 was undergoing chemotherapy last year. DD1 had them very very badly and was poorly for weeks. She was 4.

The risk of shingles is to other adults, nott the vaccinated child - see the BBC link above. Also I understood that the only reason lifelong immunity cannot be proven is that the vaccine's only been around since the 90s. YANBU

And a shingles vaccine is planned

I had it at 18. I had the spots everywhere,it was vile and I wish I'd had it at 6 like the rest of my class.

My DD(14) has had Shingles 3 times now. Our Doctor has advised her to have the CP vaccine but after reading the above I'm confused. I thought her advice was based on the vaccine being a protection from shingles but that's not what the article is saying or some of you. Any ideas?

They give it here in Oz to kids. My dd's haven't had it yet, but would need all the basic vaccines to be able to attend school.

No. I'd rather have CP as a child and circulating CP in the community so adults are likely to have decent immunity. Otherwise you risk increased numbers of pregnant mothers catching it, or newborns catching it neither of which is pretty really. Yes it can occasionally be serious (and there may be a case for vaccinating at risk individuals), but it's not (imo) dangerous enough to risk the above through mass vaccination.

Also one of the main arguments for giving a chickenpox vaccination (mentioned in the link above) is it stops parents having to take time off work. I don't really want my children taking the (small but exists) risk of vaccine damage just to stop me having to take a day off work.

YANBU all three dc had it just after Christmas. Two youngest weren't too bad but poor ds1 was so ill. His spots got infected and despite not scratching them he has been left with scars on his face. I am so gutted.
I wish I had got them vaccinated privately.

The trouble is, because the vaccine doesn't convey immunity for life as reliably as natural infection in childhood, childhood vaccination might risk young adults being left exposed to CP as their vaccine wears off.

And whilst a 'bad' dose of CP in a child might be spots everywhere, great discomfort and sometimes secondary infections (with rare incidents of more serious complications), in adults it is much worse.
A moderate dose in an adult might be 3 weeks of being bed ridden, feverish and truly unwell whereas a bad dose for an adult is viral pneumonia, in intensive care and the real risk of death.
So whilst people might think the 'bad dose' their child had was horrible and wished they'd avoided it, it is generally nothing like as bad as it could be if their children caught CP as an adult instead.

About 75% of deaths directly caused by chicken pox occur in previously healthy adults despite adults making up a tiny percentage of those who contract chicken pox each year.

I don't really know anything about the vaccination against chicken pox, only my experience of it.

Ds had chicken pox at 2.5 very badly. He was so poorly. Ds now has epilepsy and has a combination of absence and possble focal seizures which I'm convinced he didn't have before the chicken pox.

I asked the neuroligist if they are connected and he said its very possible.

I do believe ds had neurological issues pre chicken pox and always had febrile convulsions, very high temperatures and developmental delay. But I think the chicken pox aggravatted his neuro problems to bring on the seizures.

He also got a secondary infection in some spots like covert's ds, despite not scratching, and that took several courses of antibiotics to clear up. He also now has scars on his tummy and face.

Having said that I also had shingles as a teenager and was sooo ill, so don't really know what's better....

Meant convert sorry