AIBU to vaccinate my children against chicken pox?

[chickchickchickchickenpox]

I want to vaccinate my children against chicken pox, but is it selfish?

From what I can see the main reasons for it not being part of the regular childhood immunisations is because it is 1) usually mild . And 2) to protect the adult population from chicken pox (when it can be more serious to contract it) and shingles.

My reasons for leaning towards paying privately to get it are that it is not always mild in childhood (I have seen firsthand in my previous career a child who developed septicaemia from chicken pox and was critically unwell with it - I'm not sure of the outcome).

Even in a mild form they will have flu like symptoms and itchy spots which could then scar - none of which sounds fun for toddlers to have to go through; but possibly selfishly if I vaccinate my children - that could mean that others could be at an increased risk of getting it in adulthood.
AIBU?

YANBU, why not protect your child if you're able to. 🤷🏻‍♀️

I had both of mine vaccinated I didn’t even give it a second thought

I think it's sensible.

Nobody wants to have it in adulthood. Trust me - and if you have a DD in particular, she definitely doesn't want it during pregnancy.

I’ve recently had mine vaccinated. YANBU.

YANBU. I did it after there was an outbreak in the area. If I can spare her high temperature and blisters on every part of the body - why not?

YANBU - I booked DS in for the vaccine but he caught it a few days before! It can be very nasty, have horrible complications and be dangerous for other people.

YANBU and it’s part of the childhood vaccination schedule for many other countries.

Good to hear. I think the argument about not vaccinating them is because others then won't contract it as children so are then more likely to get it as adults. I'm reassured I'm not the only one who wants to.
I don't want to put my children through an illness.

Its because the vaccine can wear off and for whatever reason they may not have it done again leaving the susceptible to being very Ill as an adult.

Dd had it last week....

My mum caught chicken pox off me & my brother at 39, she was extremely poorly, there wasn't a vaccine available then. If I had my time again I would definitely be getting my DS vaccinated against chicken pox.

@Skyejuly that's interesting, I'd not read that

Tabby. I would vaccinate if we could but my dd has a severe allergy to eggs and that particular vaccine runs an anaphylaxis risk for her.
But I console myself by knowing that the vaccine doesn't give as good immunity as actually getting it. I think if you haven't actually had it a lot of drs make you repeat the vaccine when you're older (esp before pregnancy for women).
Just want to get it out the way now. Dd has eczema too, so it will be a rough fortnight when it happens

That should say YANBU, not "tabby". Stupid autocorrect

I never had chicken pox as a child, and I was obviously never vaccinated. I caught it as an adult and it was horrendous. I was seriously ill, the only reason I wasn't hospitalised was that my SIL is a nurse and stayed with me. I had blisters inside my vulva and in my eyes. I have scars everywhere, including on my face.

YANBU. I wish I'd had it.

I had my DC vaccinated and got vaccinated myself once the vaccine was out as I've never had it. Really didn't want to risk it in pregnancy and don't want DC to have it while they have a newborn sibling.

Had my kids in Australia, vaccinated as standard. It is rare there as a result. I had a terrible time with it as a child so it was a no brainer for me. I don't understand the 'its mild' argument. Even in cases where it is mild, the discomfort is greater than the discomfort of the jab.

I have heard some argue that they don't know how long the protection lasts so they may catch it when they're older and it will be more severe as a result. My paediatrician said that if the immunity wears off it should still give enough protection that the infection should be milder.

YANBU. I had made a decision that if younger 2 dc hadn’t got chicken pox by age 7 I’d get them immunised. I’d even checked private prices and everything. Then ds got chicken pox in the summer aged 6 and dd caught it aged 4. My reason for this is because dh caught it from dd1 when she was a toddler. It’s the worse thing I’ve ever seen, a grown man writhing in pain. I think it manifests itself worse the older you are.

I've done it. A lot of my friends wish they had but didn't know about it til their kid got chicken pox. It's part of the standard vaccination program in a lot of countries eg in the EU and USA

I think chicken pox is so underrated as an illness. It's dangerous for vulnerable people, pregnant women, it can cause complications and bad scarring.

My dc were really ill with it. Smothered with spots. One with a fever so high she fitted. One with them in his eyes, his sight was at risk. If I'd known about the vaccine and I'd realised how bad cp can be, I'd have paid the vaccine without a doubt.

The NHS has this to say:

www.nhs.uk/conditions/vaccinations/chickenpox-vaccine-questions-answers/

Why isn't the chickenpox vaccination part of the routine childhood immunisation schedule?
There's a worry that introducing chickenpox vaccination for all children could increase the risk of chickenpox and shingles in adults.
While chickenpox during childhood is unpleasant, the vast majority of children recover quickly and easily. In adults, chickenpox is more severe and the risk of complications increases with age.
If a childhood chickenpox vaccination programme was introduced, people would not catch chickenpox as children because the infection would no longer circulate in areas where the majority of children had been vaccinated.
This would leave unvaccinated children susceptible to contracting chickenpox as adults, when they are more likely to develop a more severe infection or a secondary complication, or in pregnancy, when there is a risk of the infection harming the baby.
We could also see a significant increase in cases of shingles in adults. Being exposed to chickenpox as an adult – for example, through contact with infected children – boosts your immunity to shingles.
If you vaccinate children against chickenpox, you lose this natural boosting, so immunity in adults will drop and more shingles cases will occur.

My eldest had CP when he was 2 and he felt sorry for himself and had some spots but it was basically mild. My youngest is now 3 and hasn’t had it. I’ve wondere about getting him vaccinated and maybe if he doesn’t catch it anyway in the next few years we’ll get him done.

It’s not part of the NHS schedule but I’m reassured that enouhh countries vaccinate as standard that it’s a reasonable thing to do.

A friend's child nearly died from chicken pox. He had to be blue lighted in an ambulance to a major hospital where they fought to save his life. He survived but needed plastic surgery on his face.
I booked my youngest daughter in for her immunisation that week. My eldest had already had chicken pox.
It was 2 injections at £60 each. Worth every penny.

My son was left with an auto immune disease after a very bad bout of chickenpox. (ulcerative Colitis) I will definitely be getting DD vaccinated.

If I could afford it, I would have done both of mine.

However they have both had chicken pox now two years ago so it’s one thing I don’t have to worry about so much.

Poor ds had it terribly bad. All in his mouth, on his tongue, all over his body and he needed antibiotics because they had become infected around his mouth. I would have done anything to spare him that pain, but alas I just couldn’t afford to