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

Thick as fuck?

See the NHS advice. Big yellow warning box: stay off school / work, and
“do not go near newborn babies, or anyone who is pregnant or has a weakened immune system, as chickenpox can be dangerous for them”

So doubtless the family on the caravan site could be sure that there would be no one pregnant, no child or adult with weakened immune system?

LOL if the family concerned now have childcare issues and have to take a week off work because their childminder / nursery staff etc have caught CP from a similar family who think everyone else is thick as fuck.

You normally have the virus a few days before the spots appear. When they are appear, that's towards the end of having the virus.

Absolutely! My oldest had it at 2.5 years,was so unwell that ended up in hospital and was off nursery for a month, and at 8 still has scars on her face and body from this
So we paid for our 2nd to get vaccinated, I was still on mat leave so we weren't exactly well off at that point, but it was a priority for us, so we put aside £10 a month and paid for it when she was 15 months old.

No it doesn't. That was why chickenpox parties were popular, it's really contagious.

It costs £130. In a country with generously free healthcare it's hardly too much to ask

Parents were selfish and timing sucks but it’ll pass soon. I always said I’d get dd vaccinated if she hadn’t had it by end of primary. She got it in year 5 and one parent didn’t forgive me as dd gave it to her daughter (they sat together in class and it was before we knew so not deliberate).

I only know about the vaccine as I have family in USA and Canada where it’s normal and they were horrified I hadn’t had dd vaccinated.

I'm honestly kicking myself, why don't parents know about this (it's clearly not just me), my kids had an awful time with it last year and I feel so guilty now 😞

You think it is OK to knowingly put people at risk of an infection without their knowledge, and that it is for you to decide that you are doing them a favour?

That isn't true that it's only just come into the schedule, I had DS vaccinated five years ago, and there were plenty of threads on here at the time with others who had already had their children vaccinated some years prior

I got chicken pox at 14 when I did work experience in a nursery because my mother had 'saved me' from catching it as a child. It was highly unpleasant, incredible itchy and I now have the scars and sunken craters on my face from it. My youngest had it at 5 after somehow avoiding it at nursery, was miserable for a week and had to cancel our holiday abroad. Our youngest is being vaccinated now he's old enough...

I looked into vaccination with my ds (it was rare to get it then) and I was told that we don't because it only lasts about 10 years (and having looked it up that looks about right).
Tbh, better for you son to get it now than later - I had it at 15 and it was pretty terrible.

They could’ve potentially saved his life. I know someone who got them as an adult and they ended up in a bad way.

I am surprised OP''s son got chicken pox within such a short time of being in contact with this evil child with such evil parents - it usually takes a fair few days. Sounds like as mum wasn't going to vaccinate it is better that he gets it now rather than as an adult when it is really nasty (I caught as adult and was fortunately mild despite spots everywhere) and was taken to chicken pox and other infectious disease parties as a child.
Fortunately there are treatments available now for the vulnerable and can test for previous infection

I am so surprised by the lack of knowledge of the chicken pox vaccine. Vast majority of people I know get it for their kids. The £150 is much cheaper than 5 days off nursery and the associated 5 days of leave you have to take.

It's given in most parts of the world and as I understand it is imminently to be rolled out as part of the uk vaccination programme.

Tell that to my brother and SIL who had their 3 year old rushed to hospital with chicken pox, they were around her eyes in her throat, were impacting her breathing. Chickenpox is not a rite of passage

I didn't want to take that risk with DS so I had him vaccinated. It did the rounds in reception he didn't get it, some of his classmates had it mildly some were really unwell and some from both groups have scarring. The vaccination meant DS didn't go through any of that, didn't miss two weeks of schooling and we weren't running around trying to take time off of work.

Ignorance. I don’t want to derail this thread. But I strongly believe the school curriculum needs to weave in basic life skills: on health, nutrition (including basic cooking), finances, legal rights, understanding statistics etc. It’s needed to challenge online misinformation these days.

I went to a comprehensive school in 70s and as well as having a fantastic academic education (kids went on to Oxford and Cambridge), brilliant sport, art and music facilities/teachers (kids became professional footballers, musicians and theatre designers), we were also taught how to cook balanced meals from scratch, grow vegetables, iron a shirt, how bank accounts worked etc etc. Every time I iron a shirt or make a white (roux) sauce, I think of my ‘domestic science’ teacher.

Chicken pox is very common illness. Your son would definitely have caught it at some point anyway and the earlier they get it the better. You also could have had him vaccinated.

Hunting down people for this reason sounds incredibly ridiculous.

That sucks for your son OP, awful timing for him. It will be ok but he didn’t need it on top of starting a new school.

I think people saying OP should’ve vaccinated her children are missing the point somewhat. I’m not sure she’s suggesting he should never be exposed to or contract chickenpox and if he’d been playing with the kid before he became ill (when he would’ve still been infectious) and got it then it would just be bad luck. But a family knowingly allowing a contagious child to play with other children isn’t ok for lots of reasons. Chickenpox vaccine is live so immunocompromised people who are at high risk if they get infected can’t actually have it. It’s really inconsiderate to allow a child you know to be unwell to play with other children without first mentioning it to their parents so they can make a choice about whether to expose them (and thus potentially expose other family members).

So many comments here have made my eyes roll out of my head but that the vaccine “hardly costs anything” really takes the biscuit.

I also didn’t know there was even a vaccine available. And what’s the point of telling OP about it now anyway.

@littleredbumblebee i hope your lad is feeling better. What rotten timing.

Absolutely. That’s a huge amount of money to lots of people.

Such a lack of empathy to come on a thread by a mum whose child is distressed and tell her what she ‘should’ have done.

I am doctorate level educated, a very involved and dedicated parent and could afford the vaccine, however I had never heard of it, and wouldn’t have done it anyway. If it was necessary it would be on the routine vaccines. It’s not an obvious thing to do. The OP has not missed a trick here and there is no way of turning back time. The only reason these people post is to feel smug and ‘better than’. So cold.

Not good timing, but entering the teenage years it gets worse so best get it now

Having seen what my child went through with chicken pox, I would have hated myself if I’d deliberately set out to get them infected. They were so poorly.

When I got my younger child vaccinated, virtually no one I mentioned this to had any idea there was a CP vaccine. It really isn’t known about in the way many posters are suggesting. I had to go to a private clinic. No Boots.

The best thing remains for people with active chicken pox to isolate. Although the infectious period before the spots appear remains a big issue, minimising the spread of infection once you know what’s happening is the only socially responsible thing to do.

mum said oh he has chicken pox but we though getting away would do him good.

Why are we like this?

This if he hasn't caught it by going to high school he was inevitably going to get it at some stage. Also children are infectious before any pox appear.