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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:
3KiddosNz · 10/09/2018 23:22

The vaccine doesn't stop chicken pox or shingles, it just stops your child from getting them as bad as they would without the vaccine, they can most definitely get a serious case of both...

JassyRadlett · 11/09/2018 00:38

No. It wears off

There’s no evidence that the two-dose course wears off at an unusual rate.

It’s also a much more effective vaccine in children than in teens and adults. I see so many people saying if their kids haven’t had it by secondary they’ll get them vaccinated. I’m not sure if they’re aware how much lower the protection rate is among those vaccinated as teens and adults.

JassyRadlett · 11/09/2018 00:40

The vaccine doesn't stop chicken pox or shingles, it just stops your child from getting them as bad as they would without the vaccine, they can most definitely get a serious case of both...

This is nonsense. It provides immunity against chicken pox in around 98% of children who have had the vaccine. And obviously children who haven’t had chicken pox won’t get shingles.

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about this subject:

General health
3KiddosNz · 11/09/2018 00:50

Actually its not nonsense at all, perhaps you should do some real research and talk to your doctor... My comment is fact as is the vaccine wears off and quickly...

Stupomax · 11/09/2018 00:58

Actually its not nonsense at all, perhaps you should do some real research and talk to your doctor... My comment is fact as is the vaccine wears off and quickly...

I'm sure you can link to CDC, NHS or similar documentation showing this?

I'm sure you can also explain why CDC is wrong in saying here www.cdc.gov/chickenpox/surveillance/monitoring-varicella.html that: "Each year, more than 3.5 million cases of varicella, 9,000 hospitalizations, and 100 deaths are prevented by varicella vaccination in the United States".

Or perhaps you don't class the CDC as 'real research'?

RosiesYellowDress · 11/09/2018 01:23

3kiddo

You know that’s not the reason why they won’t give CP vacation on NHS right?

Again had I not been laughed down when wanted to get it done (privately as I knew wasn’t available on nhs) it would of saved £ for ambulance call out & all the drugs & care admistered to my child.

I had wanted to get it done due many yrs prior to one of my children been taken by cp

Perhaps u shud do some research as ur just posting heresay with nothing to back that up

JustWingingIt16 · 11/09/2018 05:27

im currently living in a country where it is provided and is the norm. unfortunately, ill be moving back to the UK before DS is old enough for it but i am thinking about getting him vaccinated once we're back. i caught CP twice as a child the second time i was quite poorly and cant imagine seeing DS go through that.

NoProbLlama78 · 11/09/2018 05:47

I ummed and ahhhd about getting the jabs for DD and really regretted not just getting them done when she got chicken pox. It wasn't a severe case and she was fine but so bored being kept in all that time.

JassyRadlett · 11/09/2018 07:11

Actually its not nonsense at all, perhaps you should do some real research and talk to your doctor... My comment is fact as is the vaccine wears off and quickly...

That is, again, not supported by actual evidence. I’ve done plenty of research on this one, thanks awfully. Yours seems shaky at best. Can you link to your sources that the current vaccine schedule doesn’t prevent chicken pox, or that it wears off quickly? Those are two different things, by the way.

Fluffycloudland77 · 11/09/2018 07:19

Childrens vaccines are attenuated not live. They don't have the same immune response to viruses as adults.

PlayingForKittens · 11/09/2018 07:22

I would yes. Ds2 who is a perfectly normal, healthy child with no compromise to his immune system had chicken pox when he was nearly 3 and was hospitalised. He is fine if rather scar covered over 3 years later but If I had my time again I would vaccinate.

OrdinaryGirl · 11/09/2018 07:24

We've paid for our twins to have it done. £130 per child for the requisite two doses, but feels worth it to know life won't be derailed by one getting it, then the other.

Cachailleacha · 11/09/2018 07:34

I had my child vaccinated as it was on the childhood schedule where we were living. I would have preferred to wait until 12 to give him the chance to catch it earlier, as now I think he needs a booster privately (normally given at secondary school). I don't want to risk him catching it in adolescence.

Snoopychildminder · 11/09/2018 07:55

My dd had chicken pox last year, she was 2.5yrs at the time and it hadn’t really occurred to me to vaccinate. But if we are fortunate to have any more children then I would vaccinate. I don’t consider it much different to getting the flu nasal spray (which we did)

MonumentVal · 11/09/2018 08:07

I figured I'd get the jab for mine if they hadn't had it by age 5 - I had it at 16 and it was terrible. As it happened, they both had it age 3, reasonably mildly.

Humptyfelldown · 11/09/2018 09:14

@spottedzebra No you can only get the shingles vaccine on the NHS if you are over between 70-78 only! It is specifically contradicated in any age group if you have a weakened immune system.

Motherhood101Fail · 11/09/2018 09:15

This reply has been withdrawn

Message from MNHQ: This post has been withdrawn

Zhabr · 11/09/2018 09:24

I am going to vaccinate DS against CP very soon, there is a notice in my GP surgery saying it is available privately. Several years ago I have read an article about a little British girl, who fell ill as soon she arrived in Italy for holidays. She developed encephalitis as a result and nearly died. Also she did not get much support in the Italians hospitals, in fact doctors and nurses have been really angry with the parents, saying that "we vaccinate against it here". and "you have created a huge problem for us".

mastertomsmum · 11/09/2018 09:53

We lived in the US and it wasn't possible for the DS to attend a nursery in NYC without either proof of having had chicken pox or being vaccinated.

He was 3 then and hadn't had it despite a lot of exposure so was vaccinated. I haven't had it either, but have not been vaccinated. A nurse friends says it is likely I am immune and that DS also had immunity.

DH has had shingles 3 times and my mum has had it twice.

roundturnandtwohalfhitches · 11/09/2018 10:05

I would probably. I've had shingles twice. I had a mild dose this year which was no biggie at the time but have had neurapathic pain along the nerve concerned. Its been a bit shit really, although its fading now. I've seen people at work floored for months with shingles and subsequent fatigue.

Maryann1975 · 11/09/2018 10:23

We vaccinated dc3 for cp. the other two had already had it before number 3 was born. We had a close relative with terminal cancer and I didn’t want to risk dc3 getting the pox and us not be able to visit. She had the second jab and within a month, half the school had chicken pox. It was the best £150 I have ever spent.

As an aside, if I had to take time off to look after chicken pox child, I would loose far more than £150 in the 1-2 weeks off work I would need, so worth doing if you work and can’t afford to loose your wage for the week. One of those where you can’t afford to pay to vaccinate, but can you afford the results of not vaccinating?

Dc1 also has a couple of scars on her face from when she had it and £150 to prevent those for her would have been completely worth it.

CigarsofthePharoahs · 11/09/2018 13:24

I wish I'd vaccinated mine.
My eldest caught it aged 3 and he was so very ill. Absolutely covered in spots, only the soles of his feet escaped. He was bedbound for two weeks and had to go back into nappies for the duration as he was in too much pain to move.
He still has scars, four years later.
My youngest then caught it aged 4 months. It wasn't so bad for him as I was still breastfeeding, but he has a large scar above one eye.
I didn't know about the vaccination until it was too late.

MagicMix · 11/09/2018 13:57

Mine are both vaccinated against CP. I know that it is usually not a serious disease but it can be, and it can cause a lot of discomfort and time off school/work even when it's not serious. We just wanted to avoid that if at all possible. We were prompted to get our oldest vaccinated when a friend's child had a serious case (though not life threatening) and was utterly miserable for several weeks.

Where we live is like the UK, it is not a standard vaccine but you can pay to have it done. I have read that it is bad for public health if uptake is not at least 80%, as obviously a chunk of vaccinated children can reduce the spread of the disease, leaving more children who reach adulthood unvaccinated but never having been exposed to the disease, and it's more serious if you catch it as an adult. Uptake for our country is below 80%.

So I do feel a bit guilty as other people may suffer for our choices, perhaps people who could not afford the vaccine. I think healthcare providers should be doing more to encourage people to get it done - it was never even mentioned to us as an option, which I think is a disgrace. Ideally it would be on the official schedule as it is in some other countries.

millopat · 11/09/2018 14:10

My eldest came down with chickenpox the night before we went on hols and so we had to cancel it!

I got the vaccine for my youngest as a relative had it really badly and I didn't want to see him suffer like that.

I had shingles at 30, very mildly, having had chickenpox as a child.

Knittedfairies · 11/09/2018 14:16

My husband was in his 40s when he got chickenpox; he was really ill. It took him several weeks to get over it.