To take DS out trick and treating with chickenpox?

[Cherubneddy1]

DS 6 is more excited about Halloween than birthdays, Christmas, anything else. But he's woken up this morning covered in spots; clearly chickenpox.

WIBU to take him out trick and treating, on his own away from other children, if I kept him well back from people's' doors? He would genuinely be excited just to see houses all decorated ( and his sister could collect sweets for him.)

He is very well in himself.

Thing is, the OP wasn’t asking should they send their child to mix in close proximity with others I.e to school or to an enclosed space. They asked if they should take their child outside into an open space, keeping them away from others.

That child has already been infectious for a number of days totally unknowingly and has been to school etc so I don’t see how taking them for a walk round the block in the evening is worse than that.

Yes CP is infectious, but you have to be in reasonably close proximity I.e to either touch them or to be sneezed/coughed on.

I genuinely wouldn’t answer my door to a hoarde of young kids trick or treating who are probably teeming with colds, coughs and all sorts at this time of year if my immune system was suppressed in any way as it’s totally unecessarily exposing myself to potential germs. Possibly even including other kids who have CP but don’t yet know it...

If people are so worried about catching infection (which I totally understand) then I don't think you should open your doors to trick or treaters at all. If Halloween had been last night, before the OP's son's spot appeared then whoever he came into contact with would have been at risk. There could be children all over the country tonight that wake up with the pox in the morning,and their parents wouldn't have realised they were putting others at risk??
I hope OP didn't take DS out tonight though, he needs to be tucked up in the warm xx

Trick or treating doesn't work like that . Kids overlap , they touch the sweets in the bowl they are offered . I hope you didn't take him.

I am immunosuppressed. I had to go out tonight to take and collect my child from Brownies. If I had bumped into your child in the street or had to squeeze past on a narrow path? There’s the chance my family would be spending Christmas without me.
That’s why people get wound up.

Please don’t, it’s dangerous for others. He will have umpteen opportunities to go trick or treating. Not worth it.

@oblada of course you can't protect yourself from every disease out there. But knowingly having a contagious disease and still going out in public is just wrong. End of.

Oh ffs op, really?! No. No. No.

I think deep down you know you are being very unreasonable.
Chickenpox is very infectious. The virus spreads in the air from person to person. For example, if you have not already had chickenpox, there is a good chance of catching it if:
• You are in the same room as someone with chickenpox for one hour of more
• You have any face-to-face contact with someone with chickenpox, such as a conversation.
Chickenpox is most infectious one to two days before the rash appears until the last blister has dried up. The rash may start 10-21 days after being exposed to someone with chickenpox although it is usually between day 14-16.

ffs OP you shouldn't even consider this plan, even if the chances are small, your child's disappointment at missing going out this year does not trump pregnant women's protection from the miscarriage risk, or imm suppressed ill people - it can kill people!

21.45 .

Op has already said she would listen to advice . Not sure who thinks she would be going out at this time of night ? 🤔🤪

People clearly haven’t bothered RTFT as the OP said pages back that she wasn’t going.

However, by not RTFT you’ve also missed the point that the OP was in no way planning to allow her DS to be ‘in the same room as anyone for an hour’ nor to have a ‘face to face conversation’ with anyone so the risk of infection is so minute it’s really not worth getting so worked up about.

It is extremely rare to get chickenpox more than once. You can catch chickenpox from someone with shingles but you cannot get shingles from someone with chickenpox. Adults with shingles aren't even advised to stay off work as long as they are feeling well.

You could have encountered anyone with chickenpox in the past 21 days and not even know it. There are lots of other unseen diseases which will have the same devastating effects if you are immunosuppressed.

knowingly taking your child out or going out if you have chickenpox is undeniably selfish. But being immunosuppressed means you have to be as vigilant as you can, it doesn't mean you have to be so rude.

Glad that sense prevailed. But surprised that OP was surprised by the response she got. NHS advice of chickenpox is pretty clear about risks and need to keep anyone with the virus out of the public. TBH amazed that someone’s first place to come for advice about something like this is Mumsnet rather than NHS online or even just good old google.

Hullabalooo if you read what I wrote, I looked on the NHS website first, but it only said keep them off school, nothing about not going in public.

But then you would not have had the opportunity to be professionally outraged and rude would you? Fuck's sake.

The advice about not sending them to school is so as not to infect others. So how could you possibly think taking them shopping or trick and treating was fine?

What amazes me is that someone who isn't new to MN, and you aren't OP, couldn't not know what answers you were going to get. There is a "my child has chickenpox can I take them on holiday/still go to this christening/take him to a West End show" (delete as appropriate) thread on either Chat or AIBU at least once in every three weeks. Probably loads in other areas too.

https://www.nhsinform.scot/illnesses-and-conditions/infections-and-poisoning/chickenpox

"If your child has chickenpox, try to keep them away from public areas to avoid contact with people who may not have had it, especially people who are at risk of serious problems, such as newborn babies, pregnant women and anyone with a weakened immune system (for example, people having cancer treatment or taking steroid tablets).
Read more about what you need to do to stop chickenpox spreading."

Advice online looks pretty clear to me 

Also as what you proposed to do would have risked actual lives I don't know that your righteous indignation is entirely appropriate, but hold on to it if it makes you feel better.

The advice on the English site is not the same. It just says You'll need to stay away from school, nursery or work until all the spots have crusted over. This is usually 5 days after the spots first appeared. and donkt... be around pregnant women, newborn babies and people with a weakened immune system, as it can be dangerous for them

So, less clear.

OP don't worry i get you, i may have wondered the same if i cared about Halloween at all :) i read the NHS advice to say: no school because close contact with other kids and try and avoid public places if practicable. It does not say that one should be locked away for weeks! My girls had chickenpox twice within 3months (not that rare!) one after the other and yes we avoided crowded places, playcenters etc and they were off school when necessary, but no i didn't lock ourselves away from the world entirely for that time. That would have been ridiculous. So for instance I'd take both on the school run even if one was coming back with me, as they are too young to stay home on their own and i don't have other options. Common sense.

It is extremely rare to get chickenpox more than once.
But not impossible. The point is with a weak or non functioning immune system, exposure it dangerous, whether you've had it before or not.

If CP is really that dangerous why on earth doesn't the NHS vaccinate against it? The vaccination exists. I know there is the shingles argument but given we immunise against rubella to protect pregnant women, the same would apply for CP.

Satsuma. Because the risks are fortunately very low. Less than 100 people die from complications due to chickenpox in the UK each year compared for example to over 600 deaths per year from complications due to flu/chest infections.

I imagine the risk of catching flu/chest infections from children trick or treating is far greater than the risk of catching CP but not sure anyone would suggest those children should all be shut away for the duration of their illness. Funnily enough, on another thread recently loads of people were arguing that someone signed off work with a chest infection should be ENCOURAGED to get out and about as it can help their recovery (and that was in relation to them collecting a child from a ballet class so....)

because of COST a lot of countries DO vaccinate against chicken pox its just the NHS has limited funds so they proitise the most important Vaccines and stuff which is not crucial is left to the weight side.

Less then 100 die but many many more suffer from serve side effects. (those deaths do NOT include miscarriages caused by CP or hospilizations from it and sadly with anti vax on the raise if they introduced CP vaccinues now it would play into the anti-vax movement by saying why are they needed look they are only now starting to vaccinate....)

The CP vaccine is offered on the NHS to those who need it, it just isn’t part of routine childhood vaccines as the risk is so minimal for the vast majority.