To not keep poxy child in isolation

[FromCuddleLand]

Hello! We are on half term this week. Every year we take our DC to London for a few days to do the sites. This is the first year that we have planed to take the youngest. He is mega excited. We've booked the hotel (2 rooms, non refundable) and purchased tickets for one of the venues in advance.
Last night I noticed youngest was starting to look a bit spotty. Today he is pretty pickled and it is obvious it is chicken pox. He is ok in himself, cheery and bouncing around. I know that he would not be allowed in school but do I really have to not take him anywhere? (as far as I understand you are contagious before the spots show anyway). I really really don't want to cancel our trip. Am I being an arsehole or is it ok to take him? (most things were going to are outdoors). BTW have NC for this but have been on here since 2011.

Hi OP

Great you have decided no to go but would it be worth contacting the hotel and pretending otherwise! Like saying you're happy to bring him but you are aware the hotel may not want your contagious son around any possible immuno suppressed or pregnant hotel guests and if this is the case then you are happy to reschedule (or even better get a refund).

Wonder why they don't just immunise like measles mumps and rubella etc??

Maybe it costs too much?

Maybe it is this. Many countries include the Varicella vaccination as part of the routine list. Where we live, I have never heard of anyone having CP or shingles. Both mine were vaccinated, and I didn't know this wasn't routine back in UK, until reading so on MN.

Just another one coming on to add that it was more than 5 days for my DC to scab over. It took 3 days for all the spots to appear then at least 5 days for them to scab. Just letting you know OP to perhaps plan to be at home longer!

@GPatz my two had it back to back, eldest was 3, youngest was a teething 6 month old. It was a miserable few weeks. Hoping for your sake the 6 month old escapes!

I haven't rtft but read enough to know your doing the right thing so I'll keep my opinion 2 myself you've probably feel bashed already. I do feel your pain last year I was stuck in the whole half term with healthy 6 and 4 year old and a poxy baby the older ones went on to get it one at a time I ended up stuck in the house for 3 weeks and it peed it down the whole time we couldn't even play in the garden. I put on a stone in the 3 bloody weeks! So do not do what I did and just eat . Just do whatever it takes to keep yourself and little one sane watch TV, bake, build lego models, play doh, crafts, make lemon volcanoes (our personal favourite) carve a pumpkin seen as though Halloween is coming up. good luck to you you'll get through this hope your little one has a speedy recovery

I haven't rtft but just wanted to comment to the person who called whoever op's son caught it off selfish.... chicken pox is contagious for a couple of days BEFORE the spots appear and not everyone is ill with it so chances are he caught it from someone who didn't know they had it!

When i was 10 i was in school on the last day for summer. I was fine on the morning but throughout the day i started to feel poorly. I remember a number of my classmates cuddling around me with sympathy. A day or two later i came out in spots, followed by my siblings. Later in the summer i heard many of my classmates also came down with it. My mum wasn't selfish for sending me to school, neither she nor I knew i was ill!

www.nhs.uk/common-health-questions/childrens-health/why-are-children-in-the-uk-not-vaccinated-against-chickenpox.

Hope this works, it isn’t cost.

Of course you are going to get flamed on here, what did you expect if you ask such a ridiculous question.

DD was tested for it when training to be a HCP as she had never had it as a child. Turns out she was already immune but would have been vaccinated if not.

Put your anger to good use and start lobbying for a comprehensive chickenpox vaccination program.

This.

Hope this works, it isn’t cost.

No, no really.

The NHS was all set to bring out MMRV (mumps, measles, rubella and varicella i.e. chickenpox) back in the early 2000s. And then, just as they were about to do it... Andrew Wakefield happened. The NHS then decided that adding another vaccine preventable disease to the MMR was something they could not risk because everyone was getting so nervous about vaccines anyway and they were worried that MMR uptake might fall still further--and a separate chickenpox vaccine was considered too expensive.

So the UK almost uniquely among developed countries does not vaccinate against chickenpox.

By the way, if the NHS actually genuinely believed the bogus reasons that it gives on the website (we need to spread it around so that children get it when they are young rather than as teens/adults, and because it will supposedly help older adults get less shingles) then the NHS should be telling us to deliberately spread the virus--like, it would be telling us to have chickenpox parties etc. and get the virus out there as much as possible. They don't advise it, and they instead advise people to keep the kids away from others. Which is pretty telling.

@gingersausage I was one of the early ones to defend the OP when she decided it was a daft idea to go, but to answer your question about immunocompromised people - every infectious illness you come in to contact with is a risk, and we do everything we can to reduce that risk and avoid obviously infected people. My husband has leukaemia - he’s been really ill this year a couple of times with stuff he would have shrugged off in 24 hours in the past.

What is the MATTER with everyone? Did I miss the post where the OP said ‘my child has chicken pox and I’m definitely taking them to a hospital/old people’s home and allowing them to lick the patients’?

She asked a question for confirmation of what she already sort of knew, she didn’t just go ahead and do it! Calling her names is just uncalled for.

But OP, in case you were in any doubt, YABU 😉

Oh and I totally hear you on being trapped indoors for 5 days, it’s a nightmare (especially as you had nicer plans) but you’ll get through it. We’ve just had it at our house, virasoothe and Head and Shoulders Classic in the bath really helped. And piriton. And 🍷 for you. Good luck!

Glad you know ywbu and are keeling him in. Get yourself some poxclin. It helps itching and helped my sister's dcs spots dry out.

My kids caught chicken pox after spending a day playing in their friend's house. Next day friend was covered in chicken pox. 3!2 weeks later my 2 were covered. 2 weeks after that the baby (who hadn't been at the friend's house) was destroyed from head to soles of his feet. Friend's mother obviously had no idea chicken pox were on the way when she invited my 2 over for the day.

Children are contagious before spots appear, so you simply don't know. But once you know they're contagious it's irresponsible to knowingly expose vulnerable people to the virus.

Hope your little lad will be OK, OP. My older two weren't too bad with them. The baby was absolutely miserable though. Very sick.

If you have annual travel insurance it should cover the cost of your outlay.

You don’t have to stay in if he is feeling ok, just go for a walk and kick some autumn leaves well away from other people.

Things you can do inside include making halloween decorations, baking, watching films, having indoor picnics, playing games etc. Do you have a garden? Even if it is chilly you could wrap up and go outside to play. Sounds like fun to me.

My DS was only off it for a couple of days and then felt ok. Hopefully it will be the same for your DS.

You are right not to go on your trip. He will be contagious until the spots are scabbed and dry.

@FromCuddleLand

Yes. Just so I can cancel it.

😁

I am currently looking after my toddler and newborn baby who have hand, foot and mouth because some selfish bugger took their child to creche knowingly with hand foot and mouth.

don't do it.

you are being unreasonable

My 3 dc had the pox this year and it was a horrible time. Also fil has a condition that makes it very dangerous for him to be near pox, we had a trip booked to go down and see them, guess what? We cancelled because we aren't selfish.

you are being unreasonable

No, you’re being unreasonable, because you haven’t even read the IP’s comments. She has cancelled.

*OP’s comments

“I think my right to have fun and save money is more important than risking anyone else’s health and well-being”.

This. Is. Bullshit.

Chicken pox is only serious for pregnant women that haven't had chicken pox before or people with serious auto immune conditions such as HIV (when it's live), aids or are having chemotherapy or radiotherapy and haven't had it before. It will be more severe when adults catch it, even healthy ones but not deadly or serious, just worse than what a child experiences.

Babies born to mothers that have had chicken pox before will be immune in the first months of life due to the mother passing on anti bodies. From then, it's fine for a baby to catch it. It's recommended that people who are around immune compromised people and haven't had chicken pox before are vaccinated to prevent the immune compromised person getting the infection. This is because the person with chicken pox is contagious before the spots appear so it's hard to tell when someone has it until the spots appear.

It's highly recommend to let your healthy child catch it so they are immune and will only experience mild illness from getting it.

I think people on here haven't got their facts right. It is not deadly or serious for pregnant women and their unborn babies, only some, a small amount where the woman has never had chicken pox. 9 out of 10 people contract chicken pox as children. Also, it's not deadly or serious to all immune compromised people as most will have had it as children. It's only dangerous to the one's that have never had it before.

So in theory, it's best to let your child catch chicken pox and they'll have immunity for life. Some people aren't quite immune from catching it and will catch it again but this is very rare. Nurses and doctors that work on wards treating cancer patients and other people with serious immune compromising conditions that haven't had chicken pox before are vaccinated to prevent the patient catching the infection while they are weak and susceptible to complications from the virus. A child with cancer for example that has siblings that haven't had chicken pox before will get vaccinated to protect the child with the weakened immune system. Again, it's only deadly or serious to people with SERIOUS immune system problems while they are at their worst or receiving treatment. These are usually people that are in hospital or requiring hospital treatment. You aren't going to get someone in the category of seriously immune compromised walking about the street or at theme parks while it's likely the infection could kill them because well, they are seriously ill and having hospital treatment. It's still best to keep your child at home while they have open sores to prevent the small chance that they come into contact with a pregnant woman that hasn't had it before or someone with a serious illness that hasn't had it before either

@JenniferM1989 what do you class as serious immune problems? My neutrophils are 0.3, so severely neutropenic

This. Is. Bullshit.

Yes. Good job no one said it then.

guess what? We cancelled because we aren't selfish.

As did the OP. Within about 10 minutes of starting the thread.

I had some doubt over your doubts, but as soon as I read this You aren't going to get someone in the category of seriously immune compromised walking about the street or at theme parks while it's likely the infection could kill them because well, they are seriously ill and having hospital treatment. I find it difficult to believe a single word.

Do you seriously think that people who have a seriously compromised immune system are all in hospital or hiding at home? They are still entitled to try to live a normal life and that means being in crowds. That doesn’t mean that some wanker with a serious, contagious disease has the right to put others at risk.