To get DS vaccinated against chickenpox...

[RowboatsinDisguise]

Mostly because I can’t be arsed with dealing with it?

DH at the grand age of 31 still hasn’t had chickenpox apparently. He was around kids with chickenpox as a child and never got it so is possibly immune. DS will be 2 in a couple of months and is at nursery so does have the potential to pick up CP and bring it home. I’m pregnant with DC2 and can’t think of much worse than dealing with a toddler with CP, and a newborn, let alone if it turns out DH isn’t immune.

Would the GP check DH’s immunity do you think? If he’s not immune, I could just get them both vaccinated. I’m generally speaking a bit suspicious of anything that isn’t part of the routine schedule (not an anti vaxxer at all obviously, just trust the experts to make the right decisions about what is offered) but it all seems perfectly safe.

The only thing I would be aware of is that it doesn't last a lifetime so you may be condemning DS to adult chicken pox which is far worse.

That said I would speak to your GP about this as I am sure your DS could get the vaccine again in adulthood and it does sound like chicken pox in your household right now could be quite tough. I know people who have had the vaccine with no issues.

Tbh I wouldn’t - not because I’m an anti vaxxer either but because there’s a good chance the vaccine will wear off by adulthood. And then it could be dangerous. I personally think CP is better to have as a child.

I vaxed both dds and will advise them to top up in adulthood. It meant no time off work for me and no scarring (bad keeloid scarring seems to run in our family)

I was going to get DS done before lock down. Still thinking about having it soon. He is nearly 4 and I have a 1 year old too so it’s going to be expensive to do them both, but I can’t afford 2 weeks for work if they both get them.

We gave it to our toddler and it was absolutely fine. It is part of the usual regime in many non UK countries e.g. Australia, the US.

The only reason it is not routine here is i) the political calculation is that adding one more jab might tip people over the edge of having no jabs at all ii) at a population (not individual) level, having children wandering around with chickenpox is useful because it gives mild stimulus to adult immune systems which can reduce the incidence of shingles in elderly people.

That said, it is a live vaccine and can 'shed' a bit so one thing I would check with a qualified medical person is whether it is safe for you as a pregnant person to be around a child that has just had the jab.

We did for pretty much exactly the same reason when I was pregnant with DC2. It's not part of the standard vaccine schedule in the UK but it is pretty much every where else, like in the US and Germany. No idea about getting a GP to check immunity though.

The best data I could find is that about 3000 children under 9 are admitted to hospital a year with chickenpox complications in England - it's surprisingly common for children to be really ill with it. About 3 children die from it every year. (See <a class="break-all" href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=www.journalofinfection.com/article/S0163-4453(16)30093-7/pdf&ved=2ahUKEwj2vLi12-LqAhVhQRUIHbh2BaQQFjAMegQIBBAB&usg=AOvVaw29RInfbpHfHDEMRimR0bGQ" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=www.journalofinfection.com/article/S0163-4453(16)30093-7/pdf&ved=2ahUKEwj2vLi12-LqAhVhQRUIHbh2BaQQFjAMegQIBBAB&usg=AOvVaw29RInfbpHfHDEMRimR0bGQ )

Get it done! Every week or so there is a post on facebook “pity meeeee! my child has chickenpox, and its soooooo hard!”
its an easily preventable disease, and if you can afford to vaccinate, you should. I feel for people who can’t afford it, but otherwise- its self inflicted.

I've had my immunity checked when pregnant as I had been with a child who we later discover had chicken pox.

Turns out I am immune, which I thought I would be. My siblings both had the spots but I was just vomiting and felt poorly for a day apparently.

We got our DS done as when they are toddlers it goes round like wild fire and the unexpected “party bag” to all the birthday parties he went to seemed to be chicken pox which I found stressful. I have a family member with little immune system and probably selfishly I also wanted to avoid dealing with our child having a severe case. Our DS knows he is immunized against it and may need to check this as an adult and I will keep drumming this into him.
I spoke to our doctor about it (although had to take him to another surgery to have it done) and he said in his opinion all kids should be vaccinated against it but it was a budget issue. No idea if this is true as I definitely do not have the knowledge to comment but I am still so pleased he had it.

I had a 2 year old with chicken pox and then the 12 week old caught it...
2 year old sailed through, baby got an infection and had to go on antibiotics which then gave me nipple thrush! 🙄😬😣

I vaccinated DD on the advice of dermatology as she has some problematic birth marks that have become infected and they don't want her scratching or breaking the skin at all. It was easily done through boots for about £140.TBH if your adult DH hasn't had it yet he probably doesn't need vaccinating. My dad has never had chickenpox despite his own DC and working with large numbers of DC so he probably never will. I on the other hand have managed to have chicken pox multiple times to varying degrees (GP confirmed as my mum couldn't believe I was never becoming immune and kept getting it) so clearly I didn't pick up that gene.

Following this with interest because I'm planning on having DD vaccinated. Mostly because - chicken pox is horrible to have even when it's not serious, all that itching and misery so why put her through that?
I didn't know that about topping it up in adulthood but I'd still go ahead with it.

I have been thinking about getting the vaccine for my son too. He is 6 and still has not had it naturally. My other two had it just before he was born, my daughter had it first very mildly, then my Older son got it, then on the day of my planned c-section my daughter got it again! Because her first infection hadn’t been strong enough... it was a bit of a nightmare. My sister had come over for the birth of the baby ( we lived abroad then) and she wasn’t sure if she had had it, she had an immunity test done so it’s definitely possible to do. And thankfully she had.

Well currently chicken pox is still potentially more dangerous to children than COVID (25 deaths per year vs, what 4/5 COVID deaths) so yes, absolutely

I've a feeling my dd might be immune as she got to age 8 with it doing the rounds in school and never contracted it. However when I found out about the vaccine I paid for her to have it. It's a no brainer really isnt it, to ensure your child doesnt pick up a pretty unpleasant virus. I know major complications are rare but they do happen and even very mild cases can leave scarring. I didn't see the point of taking the risk when it's so easily preventable.

I did it but when DD had a blood test for immunity it was only borderline. That said, touch wood, she's never had it despite being in classes full of it so maybe it worked.

@blackcat86

I vaccinated DD on the advice of dermatology as she has some problematic birth marks that have become infected and they don't want her scratching or breaking the skin at all. It was easily done through boots for about £140.TBH if your adult DH hasn't had it yet he probably doesn't need vaccinating. My dad has never had chickenpox despite his own DC and working with large numbers of DC so he probably never will. I on the other hand have managed to have chicken pox multiple times to varying degrees (GP confirmed as my mum couldn't believe I was never becoming immune and kept getting it) so clearly I didn't pick up that gene.

DS has eczema which has become infected before so this is probably a good reason to do it too!

I vaccinated both of mine as my husband hasn't had CP. The littlest still caught it, however it was very mild.

@OverTheRainbow88

I had a 2 year old with chicken pox and then the 12 week old caught it... 2 year old sailed through, baby got an infection and had to go on antibiotics which then gave me nipple thrush! 🙄😬😣

Seems worth it just to avoid that!

@Feelingconfused2020

The only thing I would be aware of is that it doesn't last a lifetime so you may be condemning DS to adult chicken pox which is far worse.

That said I would speak to your GP about this as I am sure your DS could get the vaccine again in adulthood and it does sound like chicken pox in your household right now could be quite tough. I know people who have had the vaccine with no issues.

I didn’t know this, thanks. Hopefully he could get a booster in adulthood if needed. Will talk to the GP.

I was waiting until my younger one was old enough and had done the 1 year vaccs. Helpfully my 4 yo brought it home from school just before Christmas, 1 year old followed 2 weeks later and needed a visit to hospital by ambulance as spiking temp would not come down with paracetamol and had some good wheeze going on as well...

I'd have done the 4yo at 2 (give time to forget 1 yo jabs) in hindsight! Then done the baby at 2 in his turn!

I vaccinated my youngest after his older brother was hospitalised with chickenpox, it can actually be a very serious unpleasant disease.

@Justanothergeneric

We gave it to our toddler and it was absolutely fine. It is part of the usual regime in many non UK countries e.g. Australia, the US.

The only reason it is not routine here is i) the political calculation is that adding one more jab might tip people over the edge of having no jabs at all ii) at a population (not individual) level, having children wandering around with chickenpox is useful because it gives mild stimulus to adult immune systems which can reduce the incidence of shingles in elderly people.

That said, it is a live vaccine and can 'shed' a bit so one thing I would check with a qualified medical person is whether it is safe for you as a pregnant person to be around a child that has just had the jab.

I’m a midwife. 99.99% sure it’s fine as it’s fine to be around kids with CP if you’ve got immunity but haven’t actually come across anyone asking about the vaccine before so will confirm!

I had my daughter vaccinated. It was a no-brainer for me. It isn't always the mild illness it's made out to be, in fact it can be fatal. If I can prevent it then I will. According to the NHS, the reason it's not available as part of the childhood vaccination scheme is because they're worried it could cause problems for unvaccinated adults and, I suspect, a cost issue It seems counter-productive to me though. They wouldn't need the shingles vaccination program for older people if children were vaccinated against chicken pox.

All mine have been done on medical advice for several reasons and also all the different doctors said that the immunity conferred from an infection is the same as that of the vaccine. I.e infection does not necessarily confer life long immunity either. Also backed up by an immunologist friend. Most important is to her any daughters checked for immunity if/when they become pregnant.