to be livid that a doctor on itv has just advised chicken pox parties?

[peanutMD]

I bloody hate this!

Children suffer and can die as a result of chicken pox so why the hell is this advice still being dolled out?

I could have died of a serious infection from a chickenpox spot when I was 7, luckily after 2 ops under general anaesthetic leaving 2 very visible (to this day) scars on my belly, hospitalisation for 2 weeks, antibiotics injections every 4 hours, being ill the entire school holidays & missing the first few weeks of year 3, I was recovered. So YANBU!

had it as an adult - OMFG -it was a nightmare. two alternative health pracs have suggested my MS could have been triggered by it

But isn't chicken pox highly contagious, DC will end up catching it at school or from friends surely?

thebeesnees79 - yes, I know there is a vaccine in the states, however, it wasn't routinely given (as a requirement). It was only licensed for use in 1995, so it's actually fairly recent in general terms since it became required for school age children to be vaccinated there.

Our children were never vaccinated against chicken pox, mainly because they had chicken pox but also because it was simply not required and most adults I knew at that time (in the early to mid 90s) thought a chicken pox vaccine was unnecessary. Honestly, I still feel that it should not be a requirement.

There are still concerns over it. The length of immunity has not been proven - some have lost immunity after a short period of time. And my understanding is that it is now available as a MMRV (measles/mumps/rubella/varicella) vaccine - and we all know the concerns some people have with the MMR.

My Dd age 7 had the vaccine for it, (we are in California) Big mistake, she has now had CP three times, each time was fairly mild but it was still CP.
First time I thought she had something biting her, she had congestion etc and took her to the Doc who said she had CP then a year later same again and last October was the latest.
My friends 10 year old was also vaxed and he has had CP mildly every year though elementary school.
The Paeds reason for giving the vaccine was well it saves parents taking time off for CP doesn't it! No, it means my friend has had a week off for this annually for the last 5 years.
Oldest son caught it in Kindergarten when the next son was only 4 weeks old. Second so has been exposed many times and never got it. Now he's in College in UK and the neighbor kids are off with CP you watch he'll catch it this time!

We've vaccinated the DC against it. We were exposed to it at a party (a birthday party not a 'spread the disease' party) and were due to go on holidays a while later. We didn't want to be stuck overseas (you're not allowed on a plane until they've crusted over) so decided to vaccinate.

We live in Ireland and had to pay for it. First shot gives up to 90% immunity and a booster will give 100%. Still haven't gotten around to the booster but fully intend too.

Very happy we did it

CaliforniaLeaving
Hope it works for us

It's worked so far for DD, and for the majority of children in countries which vaccinate. California, did your DC have one shot or did they have the booster? Two shots six weeks apart are now routinely given, which I believe affords more protection.

Whoever made the bouncy castle analogy up above:

Yes, deaths do occur on bouncy castles. No, you wouldn't tell everyone to stop using them. But you probably would advise preventative measures to minimise the risk: safety matting, meets safety standards, don't overcrowd, don't let it tip, adult supervision etc.

Advising against CP parties is the same. No, it's not going to offer complete protection, just like the safety measures won't with the bouncy castle, but it will minimise the risk.

I have vaccinated ds. Had first shot July and need to book booster. Will be more than 6 weeks difference but he has been bit ill and want him 100% for jab.
Did it for my convenience as well as his.
Would not be happy with chickenpox party and would avoid. [My mother thinks great idea]. I had shocking pox as a child- ruined entire summer holiday and still have scars.

I'm on the fence. Yes healthy children can get complications from CP, but for the most part the risk is to vulnerable people including newborns and pg women.

Unless you're going to vaccinate then your DC will almost certainly get it before secondary school (and if they don't that carries its own risks). If they get it at a random time then they could infect heaven knows who before you know they've got it, but if they get it at a time of your choosing then you can keep them away from baby cousins, elderly grandparents, friends recovering from transplants, aunties having chemo, while they're in the incubation stage.

The only way you could be sure to be keeping them away from people they could infect is to keep them in quarantine until you know if they have it or not. I doubt many people who think these "parties" are a good idea do that.

Well I certainly would. If I had a relative with cancer, non-immune primary aged DCs, and I didn't choose vaccination then I might well go the "party" route for exactly that reason. And if I'd deliberately infected them it would be only common sense to steer reasonably clear of (eg) pg women and newborns if possible for the next 2 weeks. I don't think I'd go as far as full blown quarantine, but I'd certainly avoid soft play etc.

The bouncy castle isn't a good analogy anyway.

But no-one has answered my question of why getting CP at a party is so much worse than getting it anywhere else? Almost all kids get it sometime, so the "its so dangerous its irresponsible" just doesn't make any sense.

As someone whose DS1 and DS2 got chicken pox at a very inconvenient time - DS1 got it just before a holiday but luckily doctor judged him not infectious by time we travelled, but DS2 came out in spots DURING THE TRANSATLANTIC FLIGHT home!!!! I was so happy that DD had already had it as a result of playing with her cousin who had it (before DS1 and DS2 were born).

Actually DS2 had it very badly (wouldn't eat or drink, totally covered in spots) - GP said this was very common in children infected from siblings due to repeated exposure, so actually may have been more mild if they had both caught it at a party from a one off exposure.

I think the best bet is to decide whether you are a chicken pox party sort of person (ie you want your DC to get it) or a vaccination sort of person (ie you don't want your DC to get it) and decide between the two and act accordingly. Important to get it as a child because its not a nice illness to have as adult.

Whatyoulookingat -

Why would toy deliberately infect your child with an illness that COULD kill them?

Its one thing to have them exposed in day to day life but to nee its not acceptable to say 'now would be a good time to make my child ill because we are going on holiday in a month'.

Exposure in daily life can't be avoided but deliberately infecting your child with an illness as is convenient is bloody disgusting.

Why though? You still haven't answered the question. Its very verly likely they will get it anyway, so what is the difference how they get it?

And I think the dangers are being overstated. Yes, sadly, a very small amount of children can die from CP. (9 in Britain in 2007, for example). How many children killed in cars in that year? I could ask you why on earth you would put your child in a car which has a much much higher risk of danger to your child.

I wouldn't, but then neither would I have or go to a cp party (I've never heard of one in real life, I think its a bit of an urban myth these days). The point is, there is risk in everything, every day. We balance risk with convenience every time we leave the house (or indeed in the house, your child has a higher risk of dying from an accident in your house than from chicken pox). This frothing about the danger is OTT and failing in risk perception.

Not disgusting, just planning. YABU. The vaccine isn't readily available, I would have loved to get CP over with at a time of my choosing, that I could plan for quarantine, etc. Not have it come up out of nowhere & completely disrupt my life for a week.

And CP is overwhelmingly a mild illness.

When vaccine is easily available OP will be half reasonable.

I've answered it!

I PERSONALLY think it is ridiculous to deliberately expose your child to a virus regardless of how few cases prove fatal.

Could you live with yourself knowing that you deliberately infected your child with the virus that killed them or left them seriously ill?

Its one thing to go about daily life, of course there's always the chance of exposure and infection butwhy would anyone deliberately make their child ill?

All mine had CP (dts at 6 mths and were v v unwell) and I accept you'll probably pick it up along with all sorts of other bugs just in daily life.

But the thought of actively seeking out an illness and hanging around others with it in the hope of dc getting it is just awful imho and makes it out to be a trivial thing to catch when for some it's not

so the only difference is how you feel about it? That's all about you, it has nothing to do with the child or any possible effects on them. Seems a little self-absorbed to me.

People have told you why they would deliberately make their child ill. One eminently sensible reason is that the younger they get it the less severe it is. Its as easy to ask you why you would insist on your child having it later and more severly?

Dd and my friends Ds were only given one shot, having a second dose must be a newer recommendation. Not much point in the second dose now, she's had CP three times I doubt she'll get it again.
I just jinxed myself didn't I? She'll probably have CP next month when we are supposed to go to San Francisco. Last time it was when we went to Monterey half term hols.