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Original poster

Would you vaccinate against chickenpox?

216 replies

DieAntword · 09/09/2018 21:55

The aeroplane thread made me think about this and I was reading about it. So they don’t think that people immune via vaccination will get shingles (or significantly more rarely than full chicken pox cases). Is this a no brainer then? Kids won’t get sick and they won’t get shingles later either? The only reason it’s not on the nhs is to stop adults who had full chickenpox as children getting shingles due to exposure? Is it ethical to use kids as a viral vector that way 🤔?

Apart from it costing money is there any reason not to do it?

OP posts:
EssentialHummus · 09/09/2018 22:27

DD has just had CP. It wasn’t on my radar until now. Given the risk of serious complications I’d absolutely vaccinate if I had my time again.

CrAzYmUmOf2 · 09/09/2018 22:28

My eldest had to have the vaccine as we lived in Canada at the time. Though she was meant to have another vaccine at 12 but the doctor here said there was no point, if she hadn't had it by now she was probably immune.
But my youngest just had it before summer, she is 11, and it was really bad. Eldest never caught anything and they were close and share the same room.

But tbh it's only dangerous In certain circumstances. If it was more deadly like
Measles then I'm sure they'd vaccinate.
It's just very expensive I guess for a illness that's isn't life threatening. (Yes I know it can lead to death, but only in extreme circumstances) x

VickieCherry · 09/09/2018 22:28

Yes. I had it when I was 19 and it was fucking horrible.

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about this subject:

General health
Oly5 · 09/09/2018 22:31

Yes I’ve had my kids vaccinated privately. Chicken pox can be really nasty, why would I make my kids suffer unnecessarily?

DreamingofSunshine · 09/09/2018 22:31

Same situation as wonky CP is a big risk to me.

It's part of the standard vaccination programme in Australia.

PoptartPoptart · 09/09/2018 22:31

DS is 13 now and has never had it, despite most of his class at Primary school coming down with it over the years.
I too wondered if he’d had a mild case and I just hadn’t noticed, so I asked the doctor for a blood test to see if he was immune - he wasn’t.
I’m now seriously thinking of getting him vaccinated privately.
Both Boots and Superdrug offer the service at certain branches.

GoodHeavensNoImAChicken · 09/09/2018 22:32

I will vaccinate my kids. I worked with some infectious disease consultant mums who all had their children vaccinated and said 1. Children die from it 2. They haven’t got time to take 2 weeks off work for each child 3. You’re saving your child from pain and suffering 4. They weren’t aware of any particular risks of it wearing off anymore than any other vaccination, there just weren’t the studies to prove otherwise

If you can afford it, please do it.

MaryPoppinsPenguins · 09/09/2018 22:33

I’m in the UK.. DD1 had it so badly, (probably normal! But everyone told me it was a mild thing) They were everywhere, even in her eyes. So we vaccinated DD2. So happy we did... such peace of mind that she won’t have to deal with that.

faeriequeen · 09/09/2018 22:34

The price has come down a lot. I think it's under £100 At Superdrug now.

MsFrosty · 09/09/2018 22:34

I intended to but my daughter caught it a week after her first birthday

4yearsnosleep · 09/09/2018 22:35

I definitely would. We were lucky, my daughter only had a mild case but is can be horrendous. I still lost a week of work and think if we did do it then the economic value would be huge, especially as it tends to be spaced out so a family of 3 may need 3 weeks off work. If it wasn't difficult to find and £200 then I would've gotten my daughter vaccinated

brokenharbour · 09/09/2018 22:36

DD was vaccinated but got it anyway so a proper waste of money! It was v mild though, she was fine in herself just itchy.

PoptartPoptart · 09/09/2018 22:57

I think it’s £65 per vaccination in Boots - they have to have two jabs about 6 weeks apart

Stupomax · 10/09/2018 01:43

Yes I would - actually I may still do so despite them having had CP.

Mine all had CP as children when we were still living in the UK. It was horrible especially for my youngest. It seemed to go on forever (I have three children and they all had it separately so we were quarantined at home forever). My youngest was very unwell with it.

When we didn't realise one of them was contagious we then passed it on to a friend's small daughter, who was hospitalised, and had some very nasty side effects. I still feel horribly guilty about that.

We now live in the US where nearly everyone is vaccinated. Ironically, although I have a letter from the doctor saying they've all had CP, I will probably end up just getting them vaccinated again, as it will make their lives easier especially once they're at college. I get questions every year from DD1's boarding school nurse as it is. It's ridiculous really when it would just be so easy (and free) to just get them vaccinated.

I had to have the MMRV to emigrate and it was a total doddle.

Stupomax · 10/09/2018 01:46

Widespread vaccination in the US has resulted in increased numbers of shingles cases in middle aged people who had chickenpox before the vaccination program

But
a) the shingles vax is reducing this number
and
b) soon there will be almost no cases of shingles because no one will have had chickenpox
and
c) there are still plenty of people in the UK getting shingles despite children supposedly innoculating them. My British grandmother, stepfather, and boyfriend all got shingles.

Stupomax · 10/09/2018 01:53

I read recently that some studies have suggested that the vaccine loses its effectiveness after more than ten years. Therefore children who are vaccinated become adults who are not protected

This is a bit of a Mumsnet myth that seems to be impossible to bust. Since 2006, the CDC has recommended two doses of the varicella vaccine, and since then has seen no decrease in effectiveness over time. They are monitoring the situation - what with them being responsible for the health of 370 million people.

There are some diseases that do require boosters periodically - tetanus, whooping cough (pertussis), flu. Varicella is not one of those.

MountainPeakGeek · 10/09/2018 02:09

Where I am (Canada) they routinely give the CP vaccination and also advise to still vaccinate against it even if the child has already had chicken pox, if they were under 1yr old when they caught it.

OlennasWimple · 10/09/2018 02:31

Both our DC had chicken pox when they were about 3yo. When we moved to the US - where vaccination is mandatory for school attendance - most HCPs were horrified that we had not vaccinated them. TBH I didn't know that there was a vaccine until we moved!

ThriftyMcThrifty · 10/09/2018 02:33

My nephew nearly died from chicken pox. H contracted a secondary infection while very sick, which is what put him in the danger zone. I know he was unlucky, but I’ve vaccinated both my kids. He’s ok now, but behind at school as he had a good few months off.

TheDowagerCuntess · 10/09/2018 02:50

Yes I would, and indeed did. We paid to do so.

HoppingPavlova · 10/09/2018 03:16

Yes, we have it on the immunisation schedule here for kids at 18mths.

My kids missed it as it didn't exist when they were young but as soon as it came out I had it done privately. You could have waited as the government had a catch up program for first year in high school for those kids where it was not around when they were younger but I didn't want them to wait.

We also have shingles vax for people who are elderly but again I chose to have this privately as I would rather know I was protected.

HoppingPavlova · 10/09/2018 03:20

DD was vaccinated but got it anyway so a proper waste of money! It was v mild though, she was fine in herself just itchy.

That's an ignorant comment. Like any vax you can still catch the disease but the point is, if you do, it will generally be very mild and will spare you from complications the worst being death. It's not a waste.

Movablefeast · 10/09/2018 03:50

Our dds were immunized but we moved to Germany and our son who was the youngest got chicken pox. He still has the scars but mostly in areas that are not noticeable. When we returned to the US we had to prove with a titer that he was now immune as they have a list of immunizations all children must have to be allowed to enroll in school.

Mum2OneTeen · 10/09/2018 04:08

We vaccinated DD against chicken pox when she was about 3 or 4 (on the government schedule), but she still came down with a mild version at about 9.

Mum2OneTeen · 10/09/2018 04:10

But in hindsight, I still would have absolutely got her vaccinated anyway.