Urgent we need your thoughts on chickenpox

DS1 caught chicken pox at nursery and once one of them had it they all had it. He was completely covered from head to toe in spots, particularly in his hair and nappy area and three months later still has scars, the worst being on his face. We counted over 300 spots.
DS2 got it at the same time (aged one month) and had five spots.

Neither seemed particularly ill with it however because of the complications I htink that if we can vaccinate we should

DD has a horrid time. Ds had it at 4 months but it was a very mild dose.

Unfortunatly he later went on to have shingles at the age of arounf 4-5! Poor little bigger, it was really sore, and the spots got infected, which was nasty.

I don't think I'd vaccinate my two. I think it is a helpful thing for pregnant women or those TTC, if they haven't had the illness. Also a friend had the vaccine as a child because of her eczema. I agree it could lead to a rise in adult cases.

I'm not educated about this though, there needs to be more info for us plebs before they start introducing it.

My dd1 was hospitalised with her dose of chicken pox.

I sent her off to catch it, as some had told me it was better she had it wile she was young.
My word, she caught it.

There is a pic on my profile of her.

It was really really bad and she has been left severely scarred. We considered plastic surgery especially for her face but decided against it - she had been through enough.

The spots were in her mouth, ears and all over her body. The mouth ones were the ones that made her have to go into hospital, she wouldnt drink enough and had to go on a drip.

Thing is, we say that our children are 'over-innoculated' but which of the diseases they're injected against would you want to risk them having?

Diptheria? Whooping cough? Measles? Polio? Certain forms of meningitis? My Dad had polio in 1946 and suffers terribly as an elderly man from the effects it had on his body.

My daughter has been taking part in long-term trials of 'improved' vaccines. I said we'd do this because I feel that immunisation has saved hundreds of thousands (? millions) of families terrible grief.

The vaccines they were testing in our trial were the non-live polio and the somehow-less-powerful-and-likely-to-produce-reactions dipheria. It was a blind test so we didn't know until afterwards that she had tested the latter.

Having said all the above I'm still not sure about chickenpox, but I've only ever experienced it as a mild disease as have my two children, so perhaps that's not a fair basis on which to base any decision.

I'm concerned with the lack of information regarding how long the vax would last. Would there be an increase in adult cases - does a vax mean you are then vulnerable to shingles or does it not work in the same way? If you get CP as a child and are then re-exposed that boosts your immunity doesn't it? But there will be little in the community so natural boosters won't happen.

I agree with edam (much further down) that although those 6 deaths are tragic that is a very tiny proportion of the number of children who get chickenpox. A recently quoted figure of 20 adult deaths is a much greater figure considering the smaller numbers contracting the disease. I think it's worth considering vaccination if you get to say 16 without having it. And educating the medical profession in spotting complications early. dd had anti-b's after getting a secondary infection with CP four months post open heart surgery.

I had it as a pregnant adult. It was grim.

I think it weakens the chest - it's certainly what happened to my LO - as the spots can spread internally. So he got this ostio thingermebob infection between skin and sternum - no idea what would have happened if the doctors had continued to ignore me - shudder to think, luckily paed was on the ball and got him treated.

Of course it's desperately sad for those families (although I wonder whether doctors failing to pick up secondary infections played a part?)

I heard on R4 news this morning that the dangerous effects of CP can happen for totally "normal" children health-wise, not just those who are immuno-suppressed.

That was the case for my friend's toddler who died. He was perfectly normal, medically, seemed to be coping absolutely fine with chicken pox (no other symptoms that you would expect anyone to pick up) then just collapsed.

DS1 (3.5 yrs at time) got it first and you'd hardly know he was sick. DS2 got it (1 yr at time) and was so ill. It was the first time I've had to take either child to the hospital and he screamed so long and was got so distressed we took him in the middle of the night. I think it's impact can be underestimated BUT all that said I don't think we need another vaccine. Our kids are already being messed around with as it is.

So they eradicate another disease...another stronger virus will always come along to replace it.

Slightlymad, I wasn't having a go! Just concerned to point out dangers last for a bit longer than was previously thought.

Flame I was the same with the hep, I was keyworkeringa disabled chap who was Hep positive and a spitter at the time, fortuantely I was lucky.

balls missed the dealine - not read thread but wanted to say that i think the vaccine is completely unecessary, 5 children died last year - and whilst tragic - statistically i personally do not rhink that this warrents such a huge investment

i heard a doctor on jeremy vine say that its either all or nothing
half hearted shit won't work - it will just push the age of chicken pox upwards - and its actually more dangerous when we get older.

so i think its a big waste of time - esp since the MMR scandles and to be quite honest i have distrust of the whole system but would vaccinate my children as my mother was a nurse and she had great influence over telling me the horrors of supposed "childhood" diseases.

so there is the marketing to think of to be honest - i cant see why they are fucking about with something that a lot of people distrust in the first place - and which would have a negligable effect at most and a tragic effect at worst - older people dying - many more than 5

We had to cancel our summer holiday because though no longer infectious I was told we'd be refused or quarantined for displaying spots.

I was under the impression the vaccine may not give life-long immunity. If this is so, it does not seem particularly attractive route to go down.

DS's all ahd it a few eyars back, ds3 was only a few months old and so we were quite worried at the time. but on balance I dont think I would immunise- having a family history of autism and being aware of potential for vaccine overload inclines me towards restricting immunisations to illnesses that are more severely risky than chickenpox. I'm not an anti MMR person, but on balance for my family 9and I am thinking the new baby) it wouldn't be a choice I would make

First weeks (ie when unlikely to even know you are pregnant) and at delivery are the dangerous times.

Immunoglobulin is available to maternity wards so newborns can be protected if there is a possibility of infection.

I haven't made up my mind yet. Ds had it very mild it. I caught it as an adult and I was very ill. I actually didn't know it could be dangerous for pg women.

I have no natural immunity to chicken pox and have had it multiple times. In later years they have been mild cases, but I had pretty severe complications the first time I had it.

I am generally anti-vaccination, certainly the ridiculous number of them now seen as routine. I don't think yet another vaccine becoming available is going to change my mind.

I contracted chicken pox when i was 16 weeks pg and it was rather a worrying time - no medic would tell me whether chicken pox would affect my baby in any way. Fortunately my baby did not have any effects from me contracting chicken pox and is now 15 years old.

So I would be in agreement with a chicken pox vaccine.

Ooops killed that discussiuon .

Am going on school run now, so you can carry on the sensible debate

I have had chicken pox twice.

am still dubious.

If you catch it mildly the first time you can get it twice.

surely giving a vaxcine is the same as giving a mild dose.

so ummunity would not be guaranteed.

Fio - it is to stop people getting it in general, so there is even less chance of the immuno-suppressed getting it (isn't it contagious before the spots so they can get it before you realise to keep them away iyswim)

Fio I didn't ignore you. I thought about your Q and didn't have an answer....Do you want me to make somethigng up?

The government have intelligence that aliens will land on earth in 6yrs and 7m and they feear that chicekn pox will cause them to self destruct and take the whole of the planet with them in some kind of nuclear scale disaster....so we need to eradicate th disease in the next 6years before they land ....

In response to
Fio fio
"i dont understand who the vaccine is trying to protect. we all know, i hope, it is v bad for someone who is immuno suppressed to come into contact with chickenpox - is this what the vaccine is intended to prevent? "

I heard on R4 news this morning that the dangerous effects of CP can happen for totally "normal" children health-wise, not just those who are immuno-suppressed.