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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think Nursery should have tried to contain chickenpox better?!

160 replies

Pengyquin · 10/02/2015 14:17

No notice up in nursery that it was even doing the rounds. Found out on social media.

One member of staffs little girl was affected badly, and said member of staff came back to work 3 days later into a different room (my son's) Children from initial 'outbreak' room were taken to a new room (my son's) to save on staffing costs (I presume) at the end of one of the days.

Nursery have pretty much shrugged and seemingly are of the attitude, it's just chickenpox.

Well, it isn't 'just' chickenpox if you're pregnant and not immune or if you (or someone in your family) has a compromised immune system. Plus, a family friend of ours, her little girl died (aged 4) of chickenpox, so it's a matter close to the heart.

Just been informed that it is now in my son's room.

Or should I just accept it's one of those things and highly likely that we will get it.

I just think they should have tried to contain it in the one room. Not mix kids from room to room. The worker is probably irrelevent - I don't think you can pass on cp just because you've been caring for someone who has it?

I'm probably just really annoyed because we have a holiday booked next week that I can see being cancelled now!

OP posts:
springlamb · 10/02/2015 14:34

The trouble with chickenpox is that by the time Child 1 becomes symptomatic, Children 2-29 have already been exposed to the virus possibly for 2-3 weeks and,if they are going to get it, it already in their system festering.
All any sign would have done is warn you to stop at the chemist and stock up on calamine, Piriton, bicarb and oats. And then toys r us for a small inflatable paddling pool. And to make sure you have an old stocking.
I ?ell remember Xmas 99-2000 and the dream trip to Disneyworld Florida we had planned, scuppered 36 hours before take-off due to chickenpox. Even if we had left the symptomatic sufferer at home, if the other dc had come out whilst in the USA we wouldn't have been able to come back so whole holiday cancelled. Insurance clicked in for it, though, so hope you have that should you need it.

MovingOnUpMovingOnOut · 10/02/2015 14:35

I'm surprised you didn't Google to find out some basic facts about chicken pox before posting.

People who are immune can't transmit the virus to others. Most children who get it are contagious before they even have spots so you can't prevent it.

The nursery should have mentioned it but they don't have to do so. Ours has a notice on the door if they are notified of high temperatures, sickness bugs or chicken pox.

If someone is over 12 in the UK they can get the vaccination on the NHS. It is also available to buy although is expensive - but thems the breaks if you choose nursery for your childcare.

DisappointedOne · 10/02/2015 14:35

CP went around DD's playgroup and her close group of friends. Didn't get it. Apparently some children are naturally immune. You might be worrying about nothing, OP.

SDTGisAnEvilWolefGenius · 10/02/2015 14:36

I do think that the nursery was wrong not to I form the parents that there was chicken pox in the nursery. I would have thought that, amongst the clientele of a nursery, there is a high chance that one or more of the mums is pregnant again, or that they and their children spend time with other young families where someone might be pregnant.

Given the very real risks that chicken pox can pose to the unborn child, if the mother is not immune, they should have informed the parents so they could take whatever safety precautions they thought necessary.

You can't always know when you or your children are being exposed to chicken pox - it is at its most contagious before the spots come out, so that child who looks under the weather might be brewing it, and you have just been exposed - but if a group/family/childcare setting knows They have chicken pox in the group/setting, they should inform other people coming in there.

And yes, as WeirdCatLady says! it is 'only' chicken pox - and for most people who get it, it will be unpleasant, nothing more - but in the small number of cases where it is serious, it can be really serious, even fatal. Given this, people should be told where chicken pox has been confirmed, so they can avoid it if they choose to do so.

Allstoppedup · 10/02/2015 14:37

Gestation for chickenpox is 10- 21 days, once it's there it's almost impossible to contain and even if they had notified you there is little you could do retrospectively to avoid it.

That said, it would have been useful for them to advise of an outbreak so that vulnerable people could be watched more closely I guess.

SolomanDaisy · 10/02/2015 14:38

But what would you do if you saw the sign up? How could you act differently? My DS's preschool put a sign up, but they also allow kids to continue attending with chickenpox, if they feel up to it. So I've always just assumed the sign was so you spot what it is in your own child if they catch it (which my DS hasn't so far).

Trapper · 10/02/2015 14:39

CP is very contagious and the nursery is not the only place you could catch it. If you are concerned about the risks, you may wish to get a private vaccination.

IssyStark · 10/02/2015 14:50

YANBU about the Nursery not informing you (as at least then you know what to look out for). However YABU to expect them to contain the infection, it's impossible.

Any woman who has not had chicken pox should, as part of her pre-pregnancy care, get tested to see if she is immune or not, especially if she already has a child who will be at nursery/preschool etc. Chicken Pox is endemic in the UK and most adults have immunity so it isn't a regular pre-pregnancy test and you have to ask for it. I did and I found out I was immune to chicken pox despite never, ever having had it, so I probably had a couple of spots and a very low grade, sub-clinical infection at some point when my sister or friends had it.

Original poster
Pengyquin · 10/02/2015 14:52

Hmm. Ok. So it looks like IABU to a certain extent.

Vaccine is not freely available. You have to pay. It's not cheap £150.

He's already had slapped cheek and hand foot and mouth from nursery! I feel like i'm paying to be infected ;)

I'm honestly just surprised. If it were me, and my nursery, and we had say 2 confirmed cases in one room, I certainly wouldn't be sending any of those children to other rooms until it had all died down (exactly because of the long incubation period)

I can't really believe you'd catch it just from walking through the same hallway? Surely you need to spend at least 15 minutes with an infected person? (sure I read that somewhere) Also, as they're babies, all the toys etc slobbered on by all the children..why deliberately add to that by kids who are not normally in that room?

OP posts:
DisappointedOne · 10/02/2015 14:54

Wait till he gets to school - it's absolutely never ending!

Mrscog · 10/02/2015 15:03

I think they should have informed you it was doing the rounds, but as other people have said, it's so hard to contain that it's almost pointless. Also, the other children in the room that they mixed with others may have already had it. My DS had it at only 14months, so would be fine to mix in.

DamnBamboo · 10/02/2015 15:06

YABU OP.
Chicken pox is at it's most infectious, before the spots even appear, so putting a sign up on the wall will make no difference either way!

If you were that bothered you could have paid for a private vaccination against it.

pinksummer · 10/02/2015 15:07

My DS's nursery has an outbreak at the moment, (he has it now), it's been passed down the rooms through siblings unfortunately.

yonisareforever · 10/02/2015 15:07

I went on holiday with chickenpox when I was 4, life doesn't stop. There are photos

People die from chicken pox exposure. Old people who have never had it, people with weak immune systems, people with cancer.

Being taken on holiday where goodness knows who else you infected with whatever consequences is not something I would be proud of.

DamnBamboo · 10/02/2015 15:08

can't really believe you'd catch it just from walking through the same hallway? Surely you need to spend at least 15 minutes with an infected person? (sure I read that somewhere)

So now you're a doctor too Hmm

grocklebox · 10/02/2015 15:08

How long for though? Incubation period is up to 3 weeks, and it can go like dominoes. Under your plan, the children would theoretically have to be totally segregated for about 4 months. Its unworkable, and its not the nurseries job.
They should have put a sign up (but then you'll get someone complaining that they put a sign up and let others know what one kid had bla blah).

Kids pick up stuff in nurseries, fact of life. Deal with it or stay at home with them.

yonisareforever · 10/02/2015 15:11

I just think..it's possible there may be another mum who is in the early stages of pregnancy and not immune, with a child at that nursery.

There is a very lackadaisical attitude to cp in the UK, perhaops they dont even realise about other people being affected...they are so used to it

I took child with potentical CP to docs, when I rang I said, where do we go because...you know...CP and they said - come in, and go where normally go.
I was shocked and had to tell docs about it so they could inform staff to quaratine people.

if this is status at docs...

NeedABumChange · 10/02/2015 15:13

But it's pointless if everyone has already mixed by the time the pox is noticeable they will already have got it if they are going to.

Hadook · 10/02/2015 15:14

Yes they should have put a notice up.

Can I ask why, given the information about your friends DD, you didn't get your own DC the vaccination? I ask because my friends DS had a very bad reaction to CP and it was because of how ill he got that for us vaccination was a no brainer.

Mrscog · 10/02/2015 15:15

Actually there is some truth in that hallway exposure wouldn't be a massive problem. I read about transmission on the NHS website when DS had it and we needed to pop to a supermarket, you do generally need quite close, prolonged contact to pick it up. Obviously there is a need to be mindful as there are people at risk, but it's not the kind of thing you would pick up by being in a 2m radius of someone for 30s, unless they sneezed directly into your face.

Aberchips · 10/02/2015 15:17

They should have put up a notice - my son's nursery do usually do that. However they cannot really contain it - what if there are siblings at the nursery? They would be in contact at home & 1 could infect the other.
My 2 had Chicken Pox 2 weeks apart as my eldest infected the youngest, but we had no way of knowing if he had caught it or not until the spots came out. He still went to the childminders/ had contact with other children.

Original poster
Pengyquin · 10/02/2015 15:23

damnbaboo I was simply asking the question, no need to be so snippy!

hadook I don't have the £300 I would need to vaccinate both of my children (could hardly do one and not the other)

I personally think all children should receive the CP vaccine as standard. We vaccinate against measles for free, but you have to pay for CP? I don't understand that mentality. Other countries (US, Oz, Japan I think) vaccinate as part of the normal schedule.

We have a really lax attitude to chickenpox I think.

mrscog Thank you! I"m sure you have to be literally sneezed on (as you say) or prolonged contact. Or else we'd all be rife with it simply by going to do the weekly food shop!

grocklebox Not everyone has the luxury of being able to afford to stay at home. I can barely afford to go to work. I simply feel their attitude was and is very lax, as if it's no big deal Hmm

OP posts:
Original poster
Pengyquin · 10/02/2015 15:26

yonisare this doesn't surprise me at all. One mother took her fully chickenpox'd child into A+E because she thought some of the spots might be infected.

Brilliant idea. Take the child to mix with vulnerable people.

Even better, A+E don't even separate her and said child whilst they were waiting.

OP posts:
Hadook · 10/02/2015 15:29

I agree it absolutely should be a routine vaccination.

ThisFenceIsComfy · 10/02/2015 15:36

Where are people getting the contagious period being one to two weeks from? It's one to two days before rash appears.

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