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

[Pengyquin]

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!

There's no way to stop the spread of chickenpox other than keep the children with spots at home. As pp have said you're infectious two weeks before the first spot appears your ds will likely have already been exposed and possibly infected and also infectious.

My dd has chickenpox and went to school the day she came out in spots, she had none when I dropped her at school and by pick up had a dozen or so, two days later she's covered. It's highly likely she's infected others at school but she also must have picked it up there.

I'm sorry that your friend lost a daughter to chickenpox but short of keeping your child isolated in a clean room there's no way to 100% protect him from it.

Meant to say that yes nursery should have informed parents that there have been children with chickenpox bit that's about all they can do I'm afraid.

YNBU. Can't believe some of the comments on here. Did you not read op's initial post. Her friends daughter died of chicken pox so of course she's going to be fearful. Jesus Christ on a bike only on mumsnet would you get such an unsympathetic response.
You're right op to some it isn't just chicken pox thankfully to most there's lasting damage but as you've so tragically witnessed first hand this is not always the case.

Nursery should have put a sign up, sent out letters.

Yabu and barking. I get you know of a case where CP was fatal (awful), but in the same way, so is flu, or infections/fever, or crossing the road, or many things that you cannot control and can't spend your life worrying about or you'd go mad.

I really think if you're so worried about getting childhood illnesses at a younger more vulnerable age then you need to get a nanny. Even a CM will take charges into group situations, playgroups etc, so mixing just as much with the general public as in nursery.

It is sad that a young child died of chicken pox, but this is rare and the vast majority of children are fine with it. People have died from tiny cuts, but you can't wrap yourself up in cotton wool and avoid all things sharp because of this.

Infection is a natural part of being a living organism. You can run, but you can't hide and avoid it forever.

It's not barking to want to be informed when a highly infectious disease is doing the rounds.

Letters and signs are put up/sent out, at both schools my dcs attend and the 3 different preschools they attended - when various things are doing the rounds - chicken pox, scarlet fever, mumps etc It alerts people who have compromised immunity, reminds people what the guidelines are wrt contagious period and means that people can be on the alert when spots etc appear.

Sorry should have said no lasting damage. X

Sorry, sorting kids out. Yes Pengy I think CP is less serious than a lot of childhood diseases that we've managed to wipe out. I was thinking of diphtheria rather than measles butthe argument still holds.

Almost anything can be fatal if you are immunocompromised or if you get very unlucky but I think we overreact to a lot of conditions that are quite managable. We seem to have developed the view that childhood should be completely free of illness and if our DCs are ill it must be somebodys fault.

You could be exposed anywhere though. Visiting the supermarket, doctors waiting room, dentist, museum etc.

I think it's sad that thousands of children in the world die of malaria each year, but we're so sensitive in the West that chicken pox can create such anxiety. We need some perspective. At least we don't have polio and diphtheria to worry about any more.

I thought it was important for dd to get it so that when she is a pregnant adult she doesn't have to worry. Surely if u don't let your kid catch it then they are at risk as an adult? Obviously that doesn't help pregnant women without immunity in 2015. I just don't think it shud be avoided. I didn't have slapped cheek as a child, this made the school run stressful!

I obviously worry for pregnan women but it's about a balance. I guess a sign is all you can do.

Health Protection info for childcare settings here:

www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/353953/Guidance_on_infection_control_in_schools_11_Sept.pdf

Prevention is about hygiene and cleanliness.

And for the record - the member of staff who came back to work with her child having had is absolutely fine if she has had it. I worked in a maternity unit when my child had it and went to work whilst he was at home with family

Tbh I would rather my kids had chicken pox young as opposed to when they're adults like my partner did. At least it's out the way then. I know it's obviously a bigger deal to people with low immunity, pregnant women etc...but I think you're contagious through incubation period when the spots aren't even showing so not entirely preventable.

I don't think YABU to expect to be informed, I thought it was pretty standard practice for nurseries to put signs up when infectious diseases have been confirmed. However as others have said due to the incubation period it's impossible to contain. I do feel the need to point out though that chickenpox isn't always the 'mild' disease it's made out to be, hidden did you miss the part where the OP mentioned her friend's child died? My own child was very ill with chickenpox, there was nothing mild about it.

In the case of pregnant women it involves getting an injection but they can only do that in the time limit if they know they've been exposed to CP.

This isn't true - a pregnant woman wouldn't be given the chickenpox vaccine because it's a live vaccine and contraindicated in pregnancy. It's even recommended that you avoid getting pregnant for 3 months after having it.

A pregnant women who was not immune to chickenpox may be given antivirals though.

Also a poster upthread somewhere said that the vaccine is available on the NHS for all children over 12. This isn't true - it can be offered privately, or on the NHS where a person is considered at risk by nature of their condition or that of a household member.

Yes, I know a child died from it. I'm not dismissing it. The vast majority of cases are mild and not noteworthy in any way.

It can also lead to complications such as strep A and pneumonia. I know that illness is a part of childhood, but for some children, it can be extremely dangerous. It isn't about avoiding risk, it is about minimising it, which is why quarantine periods are recommended and childcare settings usually alert parents to infectious diseases.

oopsadaisydoo Thank you for that link, very useful. Some of them I'm a little at - we got Hand Foot and Mouth and it was awful. Not a mild illness in the slightest in our case, and as it's extremely contagious I would have thought you should have to stay off until better.

Ok. So I am being unreasonable to expect them to contain it better, but not unreasonable to have expected a letter/note/email etc about it.

It probably is better for the kids to get it younger. Fine though for the baby, I could wrap him in a onesie and make sure he doesn't scratch/infect/scar. But how the hell would I manage to do that with a 2 yr old! eek.

No signs yet..but waiting !

But would you honestly keep your child off nursery because there were some cases of chicken pox going around there?