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?

@JassyRadlett why would it decrease MMR rates?

Jassy

You can stop scarring by stopping itching with scratch mittens, it's true and worked for all 3 of ours and me and my siblings.
I'm sorry it didn't work for yours.

^You can stop scarring by stopping itching with scratch mittens, it's true and worked for all 3 of ours and me and my siblings.
I'm sorry it didn't work for yours.^

I don’t think you’re listening. Just because it worked for you, it doesn’t mean it works universally. As I said my child didn’t scratch. Because he didn’t itch. He wouldn’t touch them, and wouldn’t let anyone else without a fight, because they were bloody agony. And I used bloody calamine, and it did bugger all to prevent scarring.

I’m glad it worked for you. It may well do for many milder cases.

why would it decrease MMR rates?

Because Andrew Bloody Wakefield made people disproportionately worried about that particular vaccine, and there is a worry that in a population that don’t get how vaccinations work anyway, adding a fourth part to the MMR to become MMRV would put people off who are already (mainly unnecessarily) concerned.

And the anti-vax movement would almost certainly use it to try to convince worried parents not to vaccinate, by spreading misinformation and bad science - they have done elsewhere.

How much does it cost ? Where do you go to get the vaccination ? Thanks x

How much does it cost in the U.K. for one child? Nhs are so biased and it’s all about money, cutting costs. Why should children suffer? If I could pay so she wouldn’t get sickness bugs I would!

Imagine those parents who went to “parties” so their children could catch it, some of them may have had awful outcomes.

I do understand why they did it, but now there’s a vaccine, think children should have that.

We paid £160 at a private GP for the two doses, two years ago.

One child per year dies in Ireland from chicken pox. So a lot more in the UK I imagine. So vaccinate. Why expose your child to a preventable illness?

Why not? I just had it as an adult because I don't bloody want to get Sick if I don't have to

I paid £65 x 2 (two doses 4-8 weeks apart) recently. Booked through the CitiDoc network - given by a pharmacist in one of their pharmacies. Boots do it too.

@DryHeave I've just booked through them, they do it at our local pharmacy

Its because the vaccine can wear off

Actually we don't know that it can - it's only about 20 years old, so there is a risk that it might wear off but it might not. So far, it hasn't in those who are in their mid-twenties and first had the MMRV in Australia/America. Just like you get Tetanus boosters, all that would be needed is to get a booster as an adult, however (or to check for immunity as an adult).

Actually we don't know that it can - it's only about 20 years old, so there is a risk that it might wear off but it might not. So far, it hasn't in those who are in their mid-twenties and first had the MMRV in Australia/America. Just like you get Tetanus boosters, all that would be needed is to get a booster as an adult, however (or to check for immunity as an adult).

And for particularly vulnerable groups, specific booster programmes - like we do for whooping cough with pregnant women. No one suggests we shouldn’t immunise children against that because the vaccine wears off over time in some people.

I had both of mine vaccinated at 9 months. YANBU!

I'm def thinking about this. DD 13 still hasn't had it and DD 4 hasn't either even though it's been in the nursery about 5 times. I'm wondering if they are immune or if I should just get the vaccine

No one suggests we shouldn’t immunise children against that because the vaccine wears off over time in some people.

Skyjule did, I was responding to that post, Jassy

I’ve had my youngest daughter vaccinated as she has pretty severe eczema and I couldn’t face putting her through chicken pox on top of that. It’s a massive weight off my mind, when it inevitably goes around her nursery this spring I won’t have to worry about her. The private GP who administered it said “oh excellent decision. I’ve had my two done. Why on earth wouldn’t you”.

I’d like to get my older two the Men B vaccine as they are now approaching teenage years, but is £440 for both of them! It will have to go on the credit card...

We vaccinated ours - it’s standard in large swathes of the Western world. The NHS just simply can’t afford it.

Had my daughter vaccinated last year, i want to do what i can to try and stop her getting ill, there is also the thought of missed nursery time/if it happened when due to go on holiday.
10 cases at nursery just before Christmas but she was fine. It scares me how ill you can get from chicken pox

Sorry, Kitty, I was agreeing with you but wasn’t clear! By ‘that’ I meant whooping cough.

I find it such an illogical argument that some people make - that you shouldn’t vaccinate children against CP because it (may) wear off - but we vaccinate against whooping cough, and calmly have boosters when we need them.

I'm def thinking about this. DD 13 still hasn't had it and DD 4 hasn't either even though it's been in the nursery about 5 times. I'm wondering if they are immune or if I should just get the vaccine

Please get your eldest vaccinated sooner rather than later! The vaccine is less effective as people age (97-99% in children, 75% in teens and adults).

Having had it at 21, despite everyone thinking I was immune because I’d been exposed lots of times, I would definitely vaccinate a teenager as young as possible.

If I hadn’t have had ds4 I would’ve said no don’t as my eldest 3 were absolutely fine few spots and that’s it, ds4 got them for all of them and it was totally horrendous!!
I also look after kids in hospital with infected spots etc and it’s pretty horrid so absolutely vaccinate if you can! If I could’ve forseen ds4 Pain etc I’d have vaccinated without a thought

Like other doctors in this thread, I’ve seen children with catastrophic illness thanks to chicken pox (necrotising fasciitis needing amputation and skin grafting, encephalitis and pneumonia leading to long PICU stays). My children were vaccinated against it as soon as they were old enough!

We had 2 GP visits before hospital. Once in hospital (not sent to A and E) my Dd (13 months) and I were put on an empty ward and left overnight. I hadn’t slept for 3 days and was a bit delirious myself, rocking her in my arms. I told the overnight nurse she was really bad but she said what the 2 other GPs had said, ‘It’s only chickenpox’. My husband phoned at 6am and I could hear the nurse say, ‘she’s fine’ when I screamed to grab the phone and told him to come now because I think she’s not going to make it. The nurse looked at my grey lifeless baby whose eyes had rolled into the back of her head and got on the phone. All action stations. She was pumped full of antibiotics for a week, 3 drip lines, we had to sign for permission for them to use ‘unregulated’ meds. We had nurses come to our house for 6 weeks after that to dress her wounds. Even writing this makes me feel a bit wobbly and so grateful my husband phoned when he did. I feel like I let her down. She may want some skin reconstruction when she’s older but for now are war wounds/survival scars.