To take my baby on holiday with chickenpox

[MamaMia100]

Before you shoot me down, read on:
It started on monday 16th when I found a big well developed (so must have been there a day or 2 already) blister under his testicles. A day or 2 later, more spots and a temperature (quite mild, he hasn't really been that unwell). Old advice is wait until all spots crusted over (which would prob be a good week away from
now as new spots still appearing) but gp said (and wrote me a note saying) that new guidelines are that they are only infectious for a max of 6 days from first spot (which must have appeared on Sunday at latest as it was already a big fat blister by the time I found it on Monday, and the other spots have taken a few days to reach that stage). Supposed to be going to rural France to stay in a v isolated house which we are unlikely to leave v often (as there's a pool ad massive gardens there) by train tomorrow morning. I am worried about
A) infecting others on train as, despite gp advice, spots are far from crusted over,
B) him getting more ill while away from home (been told they can get a bad cough a week after pox gone - any experience of this???). He has breathing issues which are due tone investigated when we get back from hold (noisy breathing/gasping - suspected floppy larynx or similar. Endoscopy had to be postponed when he developed the pox).
Any opinions? Do I go with gp's advice, or my conscience (and miss out on my hols when he may not even be infectious - don't think travel insurance will work as we bought it after pox
seen by gp). And there's the worry of a bad cough making his breathing worse. We are going with a friend who is a trainee gp and there is a hospital nearby but still a bit worried...

Any thoughts/ opinions greatly appreciated as I've lost the plot somewhat! Sorry for mammoth post! TIA

i have no experience of the swedish system that sounds blooody amazing but wouldnt happen in the uk, you can get parental leave, unpaid but often have to book it in advance etc and you can get compassionate leave etc but pretty sure htey arent all paid at 100% my dp's employer is pretty good and paid him when he had time of due to my pnp after ds4, but they didnt have to do that and there are plenty of unscrupulous employers in the uk who quite frankly wouldnt give a shit if someones child was actually really ill, let alone that they 'may' be contagious!

I really don't think it's very helpful to the majority of parents on this site, living in the UK, to be told what you will do in the undoubtedly more enlightened country you live in. Also chicken pox is infectious through close contact. Close contact is defined as physical contact or being in the same room as somebody for 15 minutes. So it won't matter who in the class has CP, if you want to isolate you will have to isolate every time there's a case. This year in my dd's primary that would be three occasions I think. Plus the contact made at holiday club so up to around 12 weeks waiting to see if a child has contracted the illness.

I have never been a parent in the UK so I didn't realise you didn't get time of for a poorly/contagious child, that's very sad.

I looked after a child with immune issues who died at the age of 4, I am thinking of it from that point of veiw and the worry that I would have around my child having chickenpox and possibly harming another person would be worse than the inconveinience of keeping my child at home.

Sorry to hear about the loss of your child littlemiss Sweden sounds like a wonderful place for families.

she wasn't my child but a very special girl.

Sweden is great, but it's very cold in the winter!

Wow, well my son has been in contact with other children at nursery with chickenpox for 10 weeks now, and no spots, so you're really advocating we should have stayed in the whole time??

i am not sure she is advocating it more saying it is what she has done an dis able to in a country that seems supportive of familes, i have to say i wouldnt stay in for 10 wks as i would go mental and with 5 it would just not be practical.

nemonemo that is essentially what happened with my ds4 3 mths of children being off with chickenpox so he was exposed to it for whole days at a time at pre-school several times a week (they are all in one room) and yet he never got it! i simply couldnt and wouldnt isolate him that whole time when he 'might' have been contagious, it would be highly impractical for me and hugely unfair on him to miss out on 3 mths of pre-school, when he gets it he will of course be isolated.

If he came out in spots, or course I would keep him away from populated places. I guess I just think that if you are pregnant and haven't had it, or are immunosuppressed then you also have to acknowledge theres a risk, and perhaps keep out of situations as well.

nemo im saying it is what I would do.

I didn't realise how hard it was to catch cp, when I was looking into it after being around a child with cp I was under the impression that it was very very contagious. My opinion was bassed on asuming that a child would catch cp if in a small toddler group with a child/children with cp but it looks like i was wrong as so many people have had experience with their children being exposed to cp and not getting ill. I was asuming that i would need to be home for weeks with each child once maybe twice, it is different if it is hard to pick up cp and it would be every other month.

i think there is a balance to be struck, you do NOT go out if you are infectious end of, but in my case when i knew ds4 'might' be contatious i made sure to tell everyone i knew that was preg, had small babies, had been ill etc taht he may be contagious as it was doing the round, i also avoided meeting up with anyone who was pregnant and has small children. basically i voiced as loudly as i could and to as many people that chickenpox was doing the rounds so please be aware and i tried to keep ds4 away from people where i could (particularly as he on occasion had cold type symptoms which can be a sign of chickenpox) but he never got it so to have kept him at home for 3mths as he was repeatedly exposed to it would have been impossible for me and cruel to him as well. the pre-school were obviously aware of the chickenpox and had a sign up warning people, its a pre-school attached to a primary school so lots of interaction of a large group of people and it was put in the school newsletter and as many people were made aware as possible, which i think is the right thing to do and then those that need to can assess their own individual risk.

taking an actual infectious child out tho is a NO NO! adn in the ops case she should look into alternative travel ie car not train. tho that new advice re spots and only 6 days from first spot is interesting, but even if its not as infectious after thos e 6days it is still infectious so i would avoid public transport etc.

littlemiss is IS very contagious, some children ie my ds4 just seem to be lucky! or else he has some immunity? i have no idea, as i really thought he would get it, my elder 3 have all had it, tho again they were exposed numerous times before catching it. its very random it seems, some people get little exposure and catch it, others get loads and dont get it, you just cant tell.

nemo that is fair enough for pregnant people because it is only a few months of their life (it is no risk after 20 weeks) but it's more an issue for people with chronic immune issues who don't have the option to avoid public places for a few months.

I agree if there is a longterm condition then avoiding public places is hard, and not fair, but I guess they have to be aware of the risk. I'm guessing you'd avoid things like rush hour trains etc.
But shorter term I think, unfortunately, most of the onus on the vulnerable person. When my son had major surgery at 7 months, we didn't go out for two months to anywhere we'd come within breathing distance of other people. You can never tell what germs are lurking. At least CP has a tell tale rash for some of the contagious period!

5 mad things could it be that he has had but very mildly?

My DP had it when he was 1 and only had 1 spot on his tummy, his 3 older sisters had it so his mum knew it was cp, but i guess if the sisters didnt have it his mum could have thought he was just poorly.

It sounds like there is a lot of info about chicken pox when it comes up in your community.

Have you considered if Ds takes turn for worse that you may not be covered for medical other than basic as you took out travel insurance after he developed them did you declare to them he currently has it

If it's so bloody serious than everyone should be pushing for mandatory vaccination, to protect the few who might be badly affected. Forgive me if I'm being ignorant but wouldn't the vast majority of compromised people have had it already anyway? Nearly everyone tested has the antibodies even when they or their parents can't remember them having had it.

Chadellina - I assume you know nothing about what being immuno suppressed means? Even if people have had CP and become immuno supressed then any natural immunity they have goes out the window.

I wouldn't travel; postpone if you can. Your DS cannot be feeling well and being away from home might make him feel quite insecure.

From a selfish perspective, I wouldn't want to be standing anywhere near you and your poorly baby on public transport if the blisters were not crusted over. You would make me feel very uncomfortable. I have a 3.5yo and a 13wo who I am very conscious to keep healthy (especially my tiny baby).

In fact, I dare say that I would confront you before shuffling away! I'm sorry, but I think you're trying to convince yourself to travel when you would stay at home under any other circumstances.

MammaT

i know what chickenpox looks like as my elder 3 have had it so keep a very close eye and see him naked everyday, so check for spots, even had he had it mildly i am sure i would have notice,d a few times he has had a few spots and i have thougth oh is this the start of it, but they were not the blistery spots that you get with chickenpox so more like a virus. i guess its possible but i doubt it would have given him enough immunity tbh. its a pita as means i am always on the look out and was a nervous when dd was little incase she then ended up with it as well, she is a bit bigger now (19mths) so would hopefully be ok if she got it (its worse for under ones) he starts school in sept so will probably get it then just in time for when we are meant to be going on holiday! they ALWAYS get it when its most inconvenient, ds1 got it when he was a toddler and i was at uni trying to do my dissertation i had extra nursery sessions booked etc and obviously ended up at home with him and unable to use the nursery sessions, pulled lots of all nighters to get my dissertation done!

and yes schools and pre-schools in my area seem pretty good at informing people when chickenpox or anything else contagious is about, with signs, newsletters etc, i would hope that was standard practise throughout all schools, but i dont know.

human makes a good point if he does get much more poorly whilst you are away that will be very difficult, i think i would rather be near drs that i know, we are 5mins away from a big hospital etc and i like that reassurance it affords that help is at hand so to speak.

the financial aspect is a good point tho if going to france are you not covered by the european health directive thingy that you apply for it used to be an e11? form tho i think its changed names!

A hell of a lot more people die from flu every year than chicken pox. The risk is tiny of encountering a vulnerable person and actually infecting them.

I think you need a european health card, basically the old e111 but as a card. I think realistically they would treat an ill child even without the card but it would be a faff with paperwork to get the payment from the NHS.

Well in that case it doesn't matter that lives are being put at risk hey Chandellina as long as something else is worse!

yes its a european health card, you have to apply on line i think? ds1 needed one last year for a school trip, you have to pay, i think about £20 but not sure if thats for each person or for a family? its very easy to do.

the risk is tiny of encountering a vulnerable person really, so the op isnt like to meet anyone thats pregnant or a baby under the age of one or anyone old or immune suppresed (which is HUGE amount of people) evne those with asthma etc are all more at risk they are not a tiny amount of people, but even if they are are they somehow less imporant? if you KNOW you are contagious or your child is they you do NOT have the right to inflict that on others, however small the risk.

btw i am pretty sure that when you have the flu ( i mean the proper flu) you are told to stay at home (tho most are too ill to go out!) there were big notices up in my drs surgery saying if you have the flu or suspect you do then do NOT come into the surgery instead phone for advice so that you dont infect others!