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

It is everyone's business, by its very nature, whether children are vaccinated. It's not just "a personal thing" any more than the decision to cough without covering your face is. Public health is about everyone. Everyone is at risk from viruses and they cause a lot of problems, from household disruption to death.

Yes children can still catch it if vaccinated, but a mild version, and the chances of catching it are very low if vaccinated. Vaccination also has the advantage of affording herd immunity at population level if enough people have the jabs, so even people who have been bitten by the big pharma conspiracy theory bug or those who are in thrall to theories of individualism and don't believe there's such a thing as society will have a much smaller chance of being exposed.

However, it's much better to be exposed - CP is not something you want to catch as a teen or adult - and currently in the UK the chance of exposure is high, thanks to the NHS and the prevailing climate of every man for himself.

Oh, sorry, I thought you were genuinely asking for the reason rather than rhetorically. I completely agree with you. It does look like there may finally be some movement on it? https://www.gov.uk/government/news/jcvi-recommends-chickenpox-vaccine-in-childhood-immunisation-programme

@MoreDangerousThanAWomanScorned

Yes, I know that's why they held back initially, but that's from 2014 and that theory has been debunked pretty conclusively - the countries where it's been introduced as standard (late eighties in Japan and Korea, 1995 US) haven't seen an uptick in shingles. The NHS is great in some ways, but very lumbering when it comes to changes in thinking/protocols.

To all of you saying 'you should have had your child vaccinated' it's no ones business whether or not you have your child vaccinated & no one should be pressured into it. It's a personal choice.

Even having the vaccine children, can still catch the virus.

It is shitty of the parents though to let their child play with other children without mentioning it to parents. Some children could have other medical issues whereby catching chickenpox could be far worse for them. I'm sure your Son will be fine & make new friends once he starts high school. Good luck to him.

The NHS won't pay for it because they have calculated that it is cheaper to let children get chickenpox and thereby give adults a little immune boost (because encountering chickenpox when you've already had it boosts your immunity to shingles) than it is to vaccinate against both chickenpox and shingles and get rid of the whole problem. I actually think this is a fundamentally immoral approach - I don't see why my children should get an illness which is always unpleasant and sometimes has severe complications to help out herd immunity for adults to a disease for which there is a vaccination. So mine are vaccinated. But it is the reason - see here for a good explanation: https://www.theguardian.com/science/occams-corner/2014/may/15/real-reason-british-public-chickenpox-vaccine-shingles

Incidentally, this all works on the idea that children with chickenpox are allowed to wander round encountering (and so producing this immune response) in others. If children with chickenpox are isolated then there is no benefit at all. So the parent in the OP was actually doing just what the NHS wants...

There is no indication it wears off in adulthood - we know it lasts at least 30 years because those who got it 30 years ago, when it was new, are still immune. We don't know whether it'll last for life but it seems more likely than not that it will.

Of course it is just tongue in cheek, @Retiredfromearlyyears - the OP is just venting and having a bit of a rant on here.

You may, but it is much much milder.

Some people are just bloody selfish! I took my 3DC to a soft play a couple of weeks ago and my 10yo pointed out to me a little girl plastered in raw spots (clearly chicken pox) 🤦‍♀️

We also had family visit the day we came home with our newborn baby and they rather casually announced how they’d all had a sickness bug, one of them only being sick the night before their visit but before informing us of any of this they got him to kiss my baby on the head!

Some people really have no consideration for others! I hope your boy isn’t too poorly and I’m sure he’ll catch up and make lots of lovely new friends ☺️

I had chicken pox as a kid and then developed as an adult awful shingles which cost me a fortune in Aciclovir and were bloody painful, so my daughter is vaccinated. The train has left in your case but it may be useful for others. And yes, some people are really selfish.

Love the victim blaming on this thread. It's like people want 100% of responsibility placed on those on the receiving end of shitty behaviour, with none on the perpetrators. It's very odd.

Yes OP they did your son a favour, he could have been deliberately exposed by someone when his future wife was pregnant. Why didn't you get the vaccine that so many don't even know about in the U.K. and that you actually did try to get but had an adverse reaction to anyway? I think at this rate if you served deliberately contaminated food, some would be saying that's the same as serving something you didn't know was contaminated.

The vaccine isn't common in the UK and many GPs won't give it.

I had the same thing happen when mine attended a SureStart Centre. Mine then got chicken pox whilst we were on holiday. We ended up creeping out at night and warning people to stay away whilst they played on the swings! My MIL was furious as she'd planned all these activities which we couldn't do. My friend miscarried from catching chicken pox at around the same time. People seem to not realise the implications of letting their child run around with it. The mother of the kid we caught it from just didn't care.

I hope your son is feeling ok other than missing out.

I've never had it either. My Nana didn't have it either in her 91 years of life.
Working in childcare and schools, I have been exposed to it frequently. Both of my children have had it too.
At 50 I'm slightly concerned about shingles in the future but I assume you get some kind of immunity blood test before they give you the vaccine?

"Hunt down the bustards!" Omg! I hope that's just tongue in cheek! Your DS has Chicken pox,not bubonic plague! He would have caught it sooner or later. Its rotten luck, he missed his first week in High School but good that you were able to contact the school and be assured he'll be supported. You would have hated the 60's, Mums then had 'Chicken pox parties' Idea was if one child caught it they would all have a get together and catch it at the same time. Get it over with! ... Hope your DS is over the worst of it now.

You can get it privately at almost any chemist including Boots.

I have to say, I really don't understand why health visitors and GPs aren't educating people about the availability of this, let alone why the NHS hasn't added it to the vaccination schedule.

Vaccine? Most people wouldn't be aware there is one. It says it is only available on the NHS, it isn't standard and only certain people are eligible.

They don't have chicken pox in the routine vaccinations for children in the UK. Only at risk people can get it. I don't know if you can get a private one.

Further booster doses are not needed. If you get chickenpox after being vaccinated, you'll usually have milder symptoms than someone who has not been vaccinated.

Chickenpox vaccine - NHS

Yourself included, maybe?

After reading that link to previous thread (from 2013) where a baby caught chicken pox (after his two sisters had it), I don’t think the number of spots are in itself indicative of a mild infection. On that thread, the 17 month old baby only had three spots on the underside of his foot, yet the CP had gone to his brain and caused it to swell. The mother being unable to rouse the baby was the first apparent symptom. The baby had to be kept sedated (waiting for his brain swelling to reduce) in hospital while being treated in a high dependency unit. Even then the 17 month old regressed to the ability of an 8 month old, having to be fed through a tube, and a weak left hand side. Hopefully with therapy, he recovered fully.

My 2 year old had CP very mild this year. It was going around nursery and he got around 5 spots on his back - but the pharmacist told me he'd likely get it again as it was a mild form🤷‍♀️

Some people think running about not mentioning it beforehand is ok, Not selfish unless you want it.
Can your son use a laptop, or phone to keep in touch with people starting school, he will quickly settle in and find his niche friendship group once he is well.
We had a child visit and casually mentioned thry had it oh it was infuriating because the child was to young for the vaccine.
Free here, why not in the Uk!
No vaccine should cost.

I remember being abroad a few years back, and was a pregnant woman who's never had CP. There in the pool playing without a care in the world was a child covered in very raw chicken pox all over. I was livid as of course it's very dangerous for pregnant women. I couldn't believe no one had said anything to them. I had to call up our holiday reps and beg with hotel staff for them to do something and they ended up having to isolate in their room which I couldn't believe.. was NEXT DOOR to mine. I got moved in the end and was terrified to go in the pool from that point on. Having grown up in a big family who had CP parties I'm a believer of early exposure because I had no knowledge of a vaccine. Will definitely look into this for my kids.

We had the option to vaccinate (lived overseas) and declined as it means boosters for the rest of your life. Instead they caught it within 6 weeks of returning to the UK. How anyone gets to 11 without catching it. My neighbour brought her then 4 year old around to make sure she caught it! It is short and mild is 99% of children