grrrrr irresponsible idiots

[beginnerrunner]

Just been to the pharmacy to pick up my prescription. In walks a couple and a girl (their daughter?) Who was toddler age. The woman starts to chat about the girl's chickenpox. Omg who brings a toddler with chickenpox into a pharmacy which presumably, in the course of the day, has a lot of sick people in it. I'm angry. I've never had chickenpox. I guess I was lucky as a child. Why couldn't one of the adults have at least kept the kid outside while the other got their prescription. Grrrrrrrr!

If you had said anywhere else I'd say YANBU but I expect certain places doctors waiting rooms, hospitals and pharmacies to have ill people in them.

When I was a girl, the first time I had chickenpox, my mum did not know until I came out in spots and she had to pick me up early from school and take me to the pharmacy on the way home. You don't know if she has only just come out in spots while away from home. In a ideal situation, the child would be at home but with out knowing all the circumstances you don't know why that child was out.

BoB that it true but it doesn't stop the fact that one of the adults could have kept her outside.

I thought that you were meant to get rashes checked by the pharmacist rather than rushing to the GP for what might be a heat rash.

When DD2 came down with a bright red rash on Easter Saturday, I took a picture of her rash into the pharmacy and they were surprised that I hadn't brought her in. They advised that the pictures looked like an allergy rash, if I had taken her in perhaps it would have been easier for them to recognise the Scarlet fever rash that was diagnosed after a trip to the out of hours gp service at the hospital later that night.

After 24 hours on antibiotics DD2 was no longer contagious so I took her out of the house, goodness only knows what people must have thought of me taking a child, covered head to toe in a blotchy rash who was happy to tell everyone she saw that she had scarlet fever, out of the house.

You may be right, AGirlCalledBob - but there were two adults with the child - one could have waited outside, or in the car, whilst the other one went into the pharmacy.

Flobadobblibblobblib - probably going out myself, but a woman at work rang in on the Monday to say she couldnt come to work as her daughter has got chickenpox, spots came up on the Sunday night, so still very contagious. Woman then popped into the office on the Monday morning to collect something and BROUGHT THE POX INFECTED CHILD WITH HER INTO THE OFFICE, she got kicked out immediatley. So fucking stupid, quite a few pregnant ladies in the offices at the moment. Still makes my jaw drop when i think about it.

They probably had never thought of it or been told it was dangerous to some people - honestly there is a massive lack of knowledge about this, so don't be too furious. It's stupid and ignorant but it may not have been malicious.

Exactly Sixgeese that is why my Doctors told me to take DD to the pharmacy and get CP confirmed instead of taking up a valuable appointment I'd have had to wait a day for anyway.
With rashes and a not to ill child pharmacy is always my first point of call. A couple of times they've told me to go to the doctors anyway but usually they are very helpful.

Of course if possible you should keep a child with cp at home.

Vodkajelly, that was daft of her.

I sympathise OP and chicken pox particularly as an adult is awful. Could you get yourself vaccinated now as you never had it as a child?

Is it airborne? I thought you had to have cintact with the spots to get in so unless those sick people are picking up pox ridden child and rubbing them against themselves surely the danger is minimal?

Yes it can be airborne or you can catch it through physical contact. Also toddlers happen to touch things every now and again!

I have a friend who has no hearing as a result of her mother catching chickenpox when she was pregnant - believe me, it is NOT a good idea to take any chances with CP....

I have also known of friends that have been told by the gp to take their dc to the pharmacy to confirm chicken pox.

There is lots of info re chickenpox on the NHS Choices website.

In a nutshell, it is highly contagious from a day or two before the rash develops until the spots crust over. It spreads through the air, as well as through direct contact with the rash.

If you have been in a room with somebody who is infectious with chicken pox for 15 minutes and are not immune, you are apparently likely to catch it.

Wow I didn't know it was airborne at all. I've had CP and shingles so luckily I'm probably immune so don't think about it. If it's easily caught then some sort of precautions should be taken.

2 of my dc came down with chicken pox on Friday and Saturday respectively, the 3rd one had it the week before.
I've never had chicken pox, unfortunately I work in a pharmacy and can't afford to take potentially a month off work incase I get it too.
Believe me people come into my work with much worse than CP. I had a baby in on Saturday with measles

There should be more info about just how dangerous chicken pox can be - my nephew died as a result of having it. My DD has a compromised immune system, and whilst she can't avoid illnesses completely, catching something like this could make her seriously ill.