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?

The main reason I haven't is that I've read that the immunity can wear off and therefore expose you to it when much older - not sure how true that is but in most cases the illness doesn't cause complications anyway. My DD had it v mildly and hardly noticed.

Yanbu.

Plus, there is a shingles vaccine. I was vaccinated as a child, again before I went to uni and still had immunity at 30. I had my son vaccinated because I didn’t want him passing it to his brother who I was pregnant with and the thought of him catching it and passing it to an infant scared me. His brother is now old enough to get vaccinated and he will be getting his some time this month.

Mine will be being vaccinated as soon as he's old enough (potentially on the NHS as DH is immunocompromised but I'm still waiting for a decision on that). If the NHS says no I'll pay. It's a no brainer really.

Apart from the fact it's not always mild; it's extremely contagious before it's even obvious you've contracted it, dangerous to young babies/pregnant woman, and can cause transplanted organs to reject.

@YukoandHiro Are you sure that's right, I didn't think the chicken pox vaccine had egg in it??

My ds has severe egg allergy but was able to have the chicken pox vaccine.

I’m a health scientist and very pro-van, but no, personally I wouldn’t get the chicken pox jab. I’ve yet to read convincing research that it offers life long immunity and it potentially risks creating a non-immune adult population (which is very serious, especially for women of childbearing age). It’s hard to say how the evidence will unfold over the coming years as a larger population gets vaccinated. We may see it offers longer immunity than earlier studies indicated. But it may not. If you do opt to vaccinate, just keep an eye on things as your children may need boosters as adults (particularly women who wish to get pregnant).

*pro-vax

My children are and, depending on research available at the time, I may pay for them to have a booster in their late teens.

I had DD vaccinated and glad I did. I had chicken pox awfully as a child and agonising shingles last year.

We have just decided to get our children done, they are 3 and 20 months. A good friend of mine has a little boy the same age as my 3 year old, he had an horrendous case and was very poorly. I actually caught them as a 15 year old, I was covered head to toe, had to take nearly 3 weeks off school when I really needed to be in school. I didn't want to go in with crusty blistered all over me, imagine at that age!!! So if I can avoid my children getting a bad case while they are little or even worse a bad case as a teenager I'd will.

The other thing is we are planning another baby next year, I'll be pregnant as my daughter starts school and son nursery. It isn't very common but chicken pox in pregnancy can cause problems in early pregnancy for the foetus. It isn't impossible to catch chicken pox twice so I don't want to risk being around it.

The main reason I haven't is that I've read that the immunity can wear off and therefore expose you to it when much older

It’s expected that the vaccination protects you for as long as others like MMR etc. For some people this is life and others around 20+ years.

As a med student I worked in the infectious disease department with 5 doctors who are young mums....every one of them got their kids vaccinated and didn't think twice about it.

And they're experts in this. I would personally

I don’t see how it’s selfish at all. I have vaccinated.

I don’t understand the NHS’s rationale for not introducing. WHO recommend it. There are more shingles cases in the US now but as they are amongst the older, unvaccinated population the vaccine as some kind of cause for that is apparently ruled out.

My DD currently has chicken pox, she's coped brilliantly even though she has then everywhere imaginable. My older DS has yet to have them, he has additional needs and I foresee it being a horrendous time for him if he does come down with them. If he's lucky enough not to get them this time round I will absolutely be getting him vaccinated.

YANBU to parent how you seem fit.
When mine were growing up chicken pox parties were popular mine went to several. It didn't stop ds2 developing shingles as a teen, he was very poorly and off school for 2 months.
I wouldn't vaccinate against CP but it's your right if that's what you want to do.

Oh, forgot to say, OP.
You can stop any scarring by using calamine lotion and scratch mittens.

Why don’t you vaccinate him against it now @SleepyPaws, since he has been exposed but is still within the timescale for the vaccine to either prevent or minimise how bad it is?

You can stop any scarring by using calamine lotion and scratch mittens.

That is not something that works with any child old enough to take scratch mittens off and if they are too young to be able to, the high odds are that they will get chickenpox again once older because they were too young to build a proper immunity the first time round.

We vaccinate for it in children where I live (no longer in the UK). I had chicken pox when I was six and a horrific case of shingles at age 13, so I don't think having chicken pox provides much immunity. I'd rather give my child the vaccine and not have them suffer.

I was dead against it and a great believer in herd immunity.

However, where I’m originally from in Scotland, there was a really vicious strain of it that hit a few folk I know and their children were in a terrible state. Sores all over their genitals, both sexes, pocks around the urethra, toddlers in so much itchy pain they couldn’t sit down, no no no.

As PPs have said it is underestimated what havoc it can wreak. Thankfully really nasty cases are rare but after that “cluster” from where I am in Scotland i didn’t want to take my chances or that of their little nursery chums and vaccinated.

£260 well spent (£130/child).

Good idea as far as I am concerned.

I am 38 and have never had chicken pox so always dread someone saying their child has. This post has reminded me that I need to look into getting it for myself xx

@livpool I was 33 when I got chicken pox.

The next month I fell pregnant.

Go get it just in case. X

I’m a children’s intensive care doctor, I’ve seen horrific chickenpox complications - necrotising fasciitis, life-threatening sepsis and severe pneumonitis all in previously completely well children, as well as deaths in chronically ill children. It’s a very common illness and complications are very rare but very severe.

There’s also the practicalities - a child with chickenpox has to be off school or nursery (and childminders are only likely to take them if they don’t look after any other kids) til their spots are crusted over. At which point their sibling will probably catch it! This can lead to a long time off work for a parent and the resultant potential loss of income and general hassle

I recommend immunisation and hope it’s added to the immunisation schedule - if it was, a booster in late teens/early adulthood could ensure child-bearing age was covered if there’s concern about waning immunity

I didn't because I read threads and reports saying it could cause others issues and immunity couldn't be guaranteed later in life. Both my children caught it and were really poorly and now have pox marks on their beautiful faces. Knowing I could have prevented it is really hard and if I could make the choice again, I'd vaccinate.

I find the NHS rationale quoted and linked to upthread is extremely biased to support their 'official' stance. I'm very sceptical as it obviously saves them money not having it on the official schedule. I vaccinated both my kids against it as soon as I moved to another European country where the healthcare system is private and a bit more flexible.

Skyejuly
Its because the vaccine can wear off

It's a myth that the vaccine wears off after X amount of years. The vaccine hasn't been around long enough to know this.

OP, I've had mine vaccinated. A close friend is a nurse in the children's department in a hospital and she's seen kids die of CP. It's not always mild. She's had her DC vaccinated and recommended I do the same. Why wouldn't you.

If you can then do.