To hunt down these bastards who exposed my son to chicken pox

The chickenpox vaccine has been around for a long time - my DD had it in 2013. She also had the Bexsero vaccine when it was first licensed in the UK in 2013.

My DD is not immunocompromised - I just didn't see the point in her having an illness that could be vaccinated for.

Some people are selfish bastards who don't about anyone but themselves.

People are dicks. We were on holiday last week, got onto a crowded bus and one family on that bus had a little kid that was coughing incessantly and clearly ill. It was absolutely rammed so we were stuck next to them, being coughed all over. They got off and took the coughing kid to the beach! Now me and my daughter both have sore throats and coughs. Sigh.

Oh dear, do you think chicken pox parties were/are a good idea? To make this comment now, when there’s been so much information given here, is just bizarre.

Fewer than 10% of kids are vaccinated against this in the UK. Most of the ones who are it's because of concerns about immunosuppression either for them or close family members, so OP is actually quite unusual as her son has had one dose. I can't quite understand why this thread is full of people berating her for not doing something that most people don't do.

It unlikely that he got it from that child. The incubation period for chickenpox is between 10 and 21 days.

To be frank, you are over reacting. There are far worse things than CP.

I don’t know where you live but surely you had an expectation that your unvaccinated child will definitely catch chicken pox at some point? If you were that concerned about the timing you should have sorted it out at primary so that you had more control over the timing

This wasn't an incidental or accidental exposure, they actively made the decision to go on holidays with a poxy child and didn't warn others to stay away until the spots were noticed.

OP's DS had the first dose of the vaccine and it put him in hospital. Now he's missed his first week of secondary school. Yes, I would say he's a victim of that family's reluctance to cancel their holiday.

Also, try actually getting an appt!!!!

Jesus. You’re hardly a victim if you catch chicken pox. It’s something which you can prevent or ease by getting a vaccine which is readily available and is only the price of a few take aways.

If you don’t want to get it or suffer badly from it then get the vaccine. If you choose not to get the vaccine then you’re hardly a victim.

Some people can’t get vaccines due to adverse reactions or allergies but those are outliers and we can protect them if people able to actually make the effort.

@Ivehearditbothways The vaccine does not stop them getting it!!

I am still wrong - apparently it’s not even included everywhere yet; they are still thinking about it!!! Ffs.

From NHS website:

“Where to get the chickenpox vaccine
Contact your GP surgery if you think you or other members of your family need the chickenpox vaccine to protect you or someone you live with.
But be aware that not all GP surgeries provide chickenpox vaccines, so you may need to pay for it privately.
Speak to your employer about getting the chickenpox vaccine if you need it because of your job.”

@Rocksaltrita "hardly costs anything"? by whose measure? The vaccinations cost hundreds, and you need to give 2 doses.

@Fupoffyagrasshole The vaccine does not stop them getting it!! It just stops them being too badly affected

Victim blaming!

Chicken pox is extremely harmful to pregnant women and those who are immuno compromised.

OP I hope your son feels better soon.

Throwing around comments like not expensive isn't helpful. £150, which is what I paid last year for my DS, is actually quite a bit of money.

Well yes, but that costs right now.

CP worse as an adult so if you aren’t vaccinating then better to get it as a child

My youngest is 5 and it wasn’t included then, it’s only come onto the vaccine schedule since Nov 23. I’m assuming you mean privately?

Well, better to get it in childhood than as an adult, he would get it at some point.

I do remember Chixken pox parties of the 80s..

So many people will not vaccinate for the really nasties - polio, tetanus etc where the death and injury rate is much higher.
Older people will not have their flu or COVID vaccines.
People who believe in some dickhead on Facebook rather than facts

Well that clearly doesn’t apply to the OP, no?

1. yes you can

2. UK didn’t support it for costs reasons, but it will soon be part of vaccination schedule

Chicken pox is more dangerous for adults than kids. Although I sympathise that the timing was bad and the people were selfish to expose everyone especially whilst people were on holiday. Overall, if I were you, I'd count myself lucky, that your child finally caught it (most children get it a lot younger than that).

As a side note: I don't blame you for not vaccinating. It's not advertised on the NHS (in my opinion it should be - my son had it at three years old and has lots of scars from it).

I had no idea there was a chickenpox vaccine either. Mine are both adults now and both had it when they were young, but money aside, it's shit exposing others to illness on purpose. I hate thoughtlessness like this, but just reading through this thread, so many people really don't give a shit what happens outside their own doorstep.