AIBU To give the chicken pox Vaccine to daughter

[ChampooPapi]

Posting her for traffic as well as the fact I may be being very unreasonable!

Should I just wait for her to succumb naturally like myself (and other daughter) way back when.

Or if you can afford it should it be done? my daughter is coming up to 1 year and it seems its given between 1 year and 15 months

Is it worth it?

Thanks all!

One of mine was vaccinated by our local NHS practice so might be worth asking them anyway OP.

I live in Canada, in the province I live in it is one of the standard shots that babies get at 12 months. I think they get a booster in year 4 or 5.

There’s an advantage to being in the vaccinated minority: with so much wild type virus around (the unvaccinated) your vaccinated child will continue to be exposed and boost their antibody production and so the waning effect over time observed in countries that mass vaccinate such as USA is less and the risks of chickenpox in adulthood are less. Also, the arguments about vaccination of children resulting in more grandparent/elderly shingles cases (due to less chickenpox exposure) are becoming less relevant as the elderly are now starting to receive shingles vaccination.

Uhohmummy

That's why I didn't get DD vaccinated. Chicken pox is very dangerous to catch when pregnant and you won't know if the vaccine has worked or if the immunity has worn off until exposed to it. I didn't want to take that risk.

I think I had a blood test before we started trying for children to make sure I was still immune to CP? I’d had it mildly and at a young age. Is that worth doing? I mean getting your DD vaccinated as children but checking when they’re older?

The immunity given by the vaccine can wear off so there is a small chance that those vaccinated as children may get chicken pox later in life - as several on this thread have experienced. I remember reading a while ago that it’s therefore fine to get boys vaccinated as the risk is small but for girls the potential consequences of getting chicken pox whilst pregnant can be disastrous so it’s better not to have them vaccinated and let them get the disease when younger.

The MMR has the same immunisation protection period and more risks to pregnant women.

You can always opt to have another vaccination in adulthood if required.

I really don’t understand why people wouldn’t vaccinate against CP!
Does the «increased risk in adulthood» argument stands if you do your boosters?

My understanding is that having chicken pox as a child, does not prevent you from having shingles as an adult. So potentially having the chicken pox vaccine would also not stop you having shingles as an adult. But it would probably stop you getting chicken pox as a child.

So either way you could still get shingles. But with the jab, you're unlikely to get chicken pox.

Is that right??

You can only have shingles if you have had chicken pox or the vaccine. There is a shingles vaccine though if you are so inclined.

Neither the vaccine nor the disease itself necessarily provide lasting immunity. It would be possible for immunity from either to wane just before pregnancy. Really the safest thing to do is get immunity checked before ttc, but in reality virtually nobody does. I didn't.

My Dad is immunocompromised, DS is 2 and about to go to playschool so I'm planning on getting him vaccinated this month when payday rolls around.

@EyUpOurKid I can absolutely see why you would definitely do it then. My mum's got copd but she's had both shingles and chicken pox so think she's covered & she also has had the shingles vaccine now too

And thanks fir the information @PolarBearDisguisedAsAPenguin. Very clear about it now and think it's a do-er

@thenextsmallthing sounds good to me, was that free then?

@Mrshoneyneedsanewhat they are the best, trust me I'm obsessed with vaccinations . It was just because my other daughter had it very mildly and it was OK to go through. But I do remember getting it very bad myself as a child, a very miserable few weeks but I was in primary school so easier for my mum to deal with then a toddler.

I'm decided for sure so thank you everybody for all your advise and help, consensus is yes from my partner too

@WendyCope We also paid for it for our DC (also the Men B). It's now on the standard schedule here (Spain) and has been for a couple of years.

'My understanding is that having chicken pox as a child, does not prevent you from having shingles as an adult. So potentially having the chicken pox vaccine would also not stop you having shingles as an adult.'

@sar302 that's wrong. When you catch chickenpox, the virus never goes away completely, it hides in the nervous system like the coldsore virus does (both are types of herpes virus). Shingles isn't a new infection you catch off someone, it's the old chickenpox virus in your system reactivating, usually at a point when your immune system is weakened for some reason. If you get shingles you can give someone who has never had it before chickenpox though.

That's why the chickenpox vaccine mostly protects the person who has had the vaccine from shingles - the weakened virus in the vaccine is much less likely to reactivate.

What sold it to me was the fact that DS wouldn’t get shingles- which I really hope is correct now!! I’m fairly certain it is though. Other considerations were the fact that my friend’s child had it, developed a serious infection, and nearly lost an eye. I also know another child who was hospitalised. If I can protect DS from that, excellent.

We also couldn’t have coped financially if he was very poorly with it, and I had to take 2 weeks of unpaid leave to look after him. It wasn’t a factor in the decision at all, but it is a weight off my mind nonetheless.

I had 2 doses of the vaccine in my 30s but still caught CP the following year and was pretty ill.

I dont think the vaccine is that effective to be honest.

Paid privately for my three to get it at Xmas. To be completely honest a big factor was the fear that they would all get it one after another and I'd be screwed for childcare cover for potentially 6 weeks.
No reaction at all.

I wouldn't say YABU to have the vaccination, but to those saying "why wouldn't you?"...my 3 DC didn't suffer at all with CP, except not being able to go swimming or other groups for a couple of weeks. I would see no reason to vaccinate if I had another child. And I say that as someone who has had the vaccine themselves.

*themself

If my child had a mild dose of CP at 11 months is it worth getting the vaccine as a booster? I've heard that if the child has CP before the age of 1 they can CP again? Is this correct anyone?

Not the reason. It's to do with shingles in later life.

No longer really true. The evidence base doesn’t bear out a significant increase in older adults. There’s a small increase in young adults. But of course there is now a shingles vaccine (money) and ultimately people who have never had chicken pox (including the vaccinated) will not get shingles.

I had 2 doses of the vaccine in my 30s but still caught CP the following year and was pretty ill.

I dont think the vaccine is that effective to be honest.

The two-dose course is 98-99% effective in children but only 75% effective in teens and adults. More reason to get it done early and not wait.

I had chicken pox in my 20s and was very ill. DS1 had it when he was 2 and was quite unwell, and still has scars 5+ years later. DS2 is vaccinated.

The MMR has the same immunisation protection period and more risks to pregnant women.

But, again, there is a very small chance of catching measles, mumps or rubella at any age if the great majority of people around you have been vaccinated. Because few people are vaccinated against varicella-zoster in the UK, the risk of catching it as an adult if you haven't had it as a child is significant.

People are ignoring the fact that for vaccinations to be fully effective, a very large proportion of the population have to have them to achieve herd immunity. Otherwise there will be a reservoir of infection that can spread and cause harm. The concept of being part of society and taking preventive measures against infectious disease to benefit the population as a whole as well as yourself has pretty much vanished from the British & American mentality in recent decades.

Regarding chickenpox specifically, there has to be a collective decision on whether it is a dangerous disease of childhood. If it is, all children should be vaccinated. If it isn't, then it's better for children to catch it and acquire natural immunity.

I would see no reason to vaccinate if I had another child.

I don’t get this - you were lucky 3 times, it doesn’t mean you will be a fourth time. And regardless any child who has had chicken pox may suffer badly with shingles later in life.