to get DS chicken pox on purpose

[blowsygirl]

DS is 4.6 in a small nursery. All the other kids have had it earlier. I know it's going round at the moment, so would I be wise and reasonable to take him to a large soft play place and hope he catches it?

[AndHarry]

That's interesting, thanks for the correction. I wonder where I got that idea from?

[permaquandry]

Before my kids got it, I was kind of hopeful that they'd catch it when it was going round and I think I would have toyed with the idea of deliberately exposing them to it (they were quite a bit older than the normal age).

Since they've had it, NO. Definitely not, it can be a horrible disease and I would never recommend deliberate exposure.

I used to worry before every major event or holiday that they would catch it. They did get it at a bad time but it's just one of those things that you can't control.

[whitepuddingsupper]

Taking him to soft play probably won't expose him to it anyway, I've taken DD weekly for 2 years and she's not caught chicken pox.

[McPheezingMyButtOff]

A lovely mumsnetter nearly lost her son to Chicken Pox

Don't ever underestimate the affects.

Why would you deliberately do that?

[goldenlula]

Ds1 has just had it aged 8. He had it bad and it has taken a whole week to get over it. The 'laugh' of it is, he has accidentally been in contact with chicken pox I don't know how many times, even been at soft play place with friends, probably sharing drink beakers and sitting at the same table to eat. The next day one of the children came down with chicken pox, ds1 didn't get it. Now he has had it, I have no idea where he got it from. However, in response to the op, I am confused how you would be deliberately exposing him to cp by taking him to a soft play place. To me, that's just carrying on as normal, as I have done through any cp outbreak. I would not go to a friend's house if I knew their child had it, but I have never avoided going to places because there is an outbreak of cp in the area. Ds' both continued attending pre school etc even if I knew cp was going around but I don't class that as deliberately putting them at risk.

[AllThatGlistens]

It just baffles me that any parent would deliberately expose their child to an infectious illness that can have life threatening complications

[ImaginaryPoster]

My DS caught CP 14 months ago, we are still recovering from it. He will still be recovering from it for a long time to come.

After a leap of faith and trusting MN we ended up in intensive care, he now has significant difficulties. We are coping well and have adapted but my confidence was knocked. I spent a year struggling to cope with the fact that I needed MN to see my DS needed help. I spent a year struggling with guilt, second guessing and distrusting myself because of that, If I had of intentionally infected him I know I wouldn't have coped with the guilt. I was tetering on the edge of coping, intentionally infecting him would have plunged me over the edge.

I know of another MNs family who struggle with the guilt of infecting a child with CP who still suffers the complications.

I'm not sure in your OP why you feel soft play equals CP. Do things you normally would but don't intentionally mess with CP.

[wobblyweebles]

Indigo yes they caught cp from someone. My point is that the vaccine works, which is why I know so few children here who've had cp. There has not been a single case of it in our school system since I've been here. It's difficult to get cp. As it should be.

[level3at6months]

Ds spent his first birthday in intensive care from complications following a mild case of chickenpox. We very nearly lost him. Just don't.

[expatinscotland]

It was going round nursery when my son came out in a couple of sores, age 3.

At the time, though my daughter had already had it, with very impressive scars across her torso, she was undergoing a fourth round of intensive chemo for acute myeloid leukaemia, from which she died a few months later.

On hearing that my son had sores that resembled chickenpox, and she had been in contact with him the two weeks previously, she was placed in source isolation immediately, given drugs and my son was as well and vaccinated for good measure.

He has been titred and we will continue to titre him and booster as necessary.

Chickenpox killed two of my friends' children. It is only rare when it does not happen to you or your child.

People talk of 'nature's way', but nature's way killed more than a few children my parents, born in 1936 and 1941 respectively, breastfed and then fed a healthy, mostly vegetarian diet with plenty of exercise, knew. My aunt was a 'polio pioneer', a baby boomer among the first to be offered vaccine.

If you want to see how polio affected people, look at Mary Berry's left hand when she is cooking.

I don't get people who deliberately expose their children to illness, or, particularly, chickenpox.

You never see threads on here, 'Should I expose my child to influenza?'

MOST will do fine, but some will not, and indeed, some will die.

It is a risk. Life is.

But truly, for a little child? Deliberately?

[ProudAS]

There's nothing to be gained by deliberately exposing a child to flu as the virus keeps changing.

CP is a different matter given the fact that most people develop immunity and it is far more serious in adults. MIL regretted the decision not to expose DH and BIL after they both had it as adults and were very ill with BIL suffering complications.

OP - taking him to soft play isn't the same as deliberately exposing him but there is no right or wrong answer at the end of the day.

[ChasedByBees]

Imaginaryposter - I remember your thread (as I'm sure many people do). I often think about you and your son, I hope his difficulties pass as soon as possible.

[bumbleymummy]

If its going around nursery then he's probably already been exposed and/or he'll get it at some point. For the vast majority of people, CP is not dangerous or life threatening.

Personally, I wouldn't vaccinate against it at this age. CP is worse as an adult so it is better that they have the opportunity to gain immunity to it rather than potentially having a life time of boosters and not knowing whether your immunity has waned. The vaccine is less effective in adults as well so I wouldn't want to be relying on that to boost my immunity as an adult.

[goldenlula]

bumbleymummy you only have to read this thread to know the statement 'Cp is not dangerous or life-threatening'. In the majority, children wI'll be fine, but in a small number of cases it can be exactly what you have said it isn't and you have no way of telling which group your child will be in. There was someone on here a couple of years back who's perfectly healthy child contracted cp and died a day later. It can happen, we all hope it won't but it can. If ds2 gets it from ds1 he will need watching closely as he has been having problems with the staph aureus infection, so his spots could easily become infected, not something I am looking forward to.

[bumbleymummy]

Goldenlula, what I wrote was:

" For the vast majority of people CP is not dangerous or life threatening."

Did you miss that part?

[sashh]

Even if complications of CP are rare have you ever heard of a child being in intensive care from not having CP?

Personally, I wouldn't vaccinate against it at this age. CP is worse as an adult so it is better that they have the opportunity to gain immunity to it rather than potentially having a life time of boosters and not knowing whether your immunity has waned.

You have no idea if your 'natural' immunity has waned. People can have CP more than once, it can also come back as shingles. I've seen a case of CP on a geriatric ward, I doubt many people in British towns get to 80 without being in contact with CP.

[bumbleymummy]

Sassh, I've heard of plenty of adults ending up in intensive care with CP because they didn't have it when they were younger. I've heard of women miscarrying because they contracted CP during pregnancy.

Immunity is boosted through contact with the disease. The US had to introduce a booster in 2006 (after yet another one-jab-for-life pitch when the vaccine was initially introduced) because they found that immunity was waning due to there being less circulating CP. The chance of your natural immunity waning is less than the chance of the immunity from the vaccine waning. The vaccine is less effective in adulthood.

[Sirzy]

You have no idea if your 'natural' immunity has waned.

Hasn't it been shown that natural immunity from CP is more likely to be lifelong that that from the vaccine which like a lot of vaccines has been shown to only provide immunity for a limited time?

In the case of CP I can see exactly where Bumbley is coming from, unless there is some other risk factors then for most the vaccine at a young age may not be the best way to protect in the long term.

[goldenlula]

Sorry bumbley I did miss that bit! Must read properly, but I still think deliberately trying to get cp is not a risk worth taking. I do, however, agree that I wouldn't vaccinate against it at a young age, but I had said if my children had not had it by teenage years I would consider it. I did not know that boosters had been introduced in America, from most threads on here I gathered that it was fine just to have the one course. None of that will probably matter as more than likely my other 2 will get it in the next couple of weeks, having been in such close contact with ds1.

[blowsygirl]

Thank you all for your posts. Imaginaryposter I wish your DS all the best with his recovery, thank you for sharing your story.

To the posters who asked why I would expose my DS to CP at soft play, I can only say my understanding was that it was best for them to get it, it wasn't a big deal and thought that when it was going round I would be bound to pick it up at a big, hot, feral soft play venue I usually avoid like the plague. I won't be doing that now - we will be getting the vaccine.

[mrsjay]

would you let you child lick a germ infested toilet floor so they get D n V to boost their immune system No i dont think you would, don't make your child ill on purpose because it suits you, it is not fair

[wobblyweebles]

The varicella booster is given at age 4-6 just like the MMR booster in the UK.

The death rate from chickenpox has gone from 100 per year to zero since the vax was introduced.

[katese11]

We've just come out of quarantine after 2 weeks of bog standard chicken pox (though ds had a staph infection already which made me worry about infection) It was horrible. Although there were no complications, they still had a lot of discomfort and pain (ds more than dd) and the isolation almost drove us all mad. I know it's very common but it's not something I would ever welcome into my home

[ThatBloodyWoman]

I thought the vast majority of kids got it unless you pay for the jab.

I allowed mine to gave contact with a child with it,and they caught it.

They had no underlying health ussues and they were at a reasonable age.

I understand those who find this such a difficult concept though.When I was a child my sibling had a life threatening disease and chicken pox would probably have been fatal.

With my dc's I was able to work out when they would be contagious and make adjustments to things accordingly.

[sashh]

Hasn't it been shown that natural immunity from CP is more likely to be lifelong that that from the vaccine which like a lot of vaccines has been shown to only provide immunity for a limited time?

I don't think so, if it did then no one would ever have CP 2 or even 3 times

In the case of CP I can see exactly where Bumbley is coming from, unless there is some other risk factors then for most the vaccine at a young age may not be the best way to protect in the long term.

Vaccination (or complete isolation) is the only way to protect a child from CP long or short term, having them contract CP does protect them, they have the disease. Well, with the exception of getting immunity from being exposed to it but never being ill