Chicken Pox Vaccine

[Sunnydaysarethebestdays]

AIBU to consider giving my children the CP vaccine.
My 6 Year old daughter has never had CP and worries every spot is CP and if she got it I fear she would scratch the spots and would get herself in a bit if a state with it.
Also my 9 year old son had it at 4 months but not had it again. I’ve heard that if they have it under a year and are breastfed at the time they don’t build the antibodies to protect them for the future.
I’ve always thought the telling time for his immunity would be when DD got CP.
WIBU to to get the both vaccinated?

Do it. It can be awfully serious, there's no evidence to suggest that the vaccine wears off any more than having chickenpox does.

I was very ill indeed with chickenpox, so we vaccinated DS at 13 months (we'd have done it at 12 months but obviously MMR was more important and there needs to be a 4 week gap).

But it wears off after 10-20 years doesn't it? And chicken pox is worse usually as an adult right? Will they definitely keep up with it when they're older?

We need to do dc2 as he’s 11 and hasn’t had it

Both my DC had the vaccine at 1 year old and my GP said her children had them too.

My older boy had it at 6 and my younger at 1 - 6yo was absolutely fine - barely a spot. The baby was absolutely covered. It was awful for him. I wish I’d had them vaccinated.

I got mine vaccinated . It’s very rare but there are known cases where it can be fatal and I wasn’t willing to take the risk. I would have found it very hard if they’d have got chicken pox and been really poorly when I had known there was a vaccine to prevent it. It’s a shame it’s not done routinely like other countries as it puts a lot of pressure on us parents to make the decision.

My children have had the vaccination. DH was extremely poorly with it when he caught it at 8. He still has terrible scarring from it

I had mine vaccinated. Why wouldn’t you? Most countries have it as part of their childhood vaccination programs, as far as I know.

OP, not sure if there's any way of finding out, but yr 9YO might be ok. DS1 had chicken pox when 8 months old and still breastfed - his two older sisters had it, the younger one really badly, but he seemed fine and had I not been looking for it, I'd have missed the one spot he had.

I presumed he wasn't immune and was likely to get it, but DS2 got it in November - it went through his reception class and some were off for 3 weeks - and DS1 didn't get anything. He shares a room with DS2 so I can't see he'd have avoided it otherwise.

Yes and awful it’s not part of the childhood immunisation programme. Got both mine done. Vaccines are modern miracles, we’re lucky to have them and should use any proven safe to reduce suffering and potentially more.

DS14 had this last year. Like a pp, he had a very mild case of chickenpox when he was 6 months old and I was still breastfeeding him. Despite his brother having it and there being cases when he was at pre-school and school, he didn't get it again.

My MIL nearly died when she had chickenpox in her 40s so we decided to inoculate him.

I hadn't realised it didn't give lifelong immunity so that's useful to know.

Thanks for the reminder. My 9 year old is the only one in the family who hasn’t had it - and as his oldest brother has had it three times including one hospitalisation, I think it’s worth doing.

I had DD vaccinated when she was 2. No need to justify it, if you can afford it it’s hard to know what you wouldn’t do it.

Had DC 3 done as DC 2 had it multiple times and was v v poorly, DC1 never had it or so we thought until they got shingles at 13 which was hideous.

It's more than worth the money IMO. I can't imagine why anyone would want to see their child uncomfortable and in pain if they can avoid it.

Oh and as an adult who had shingles I wish I'd been given it. Never felt so run down and awful.

My Ds had the vaccine. Dd had CP when she was 18 months and was really ill with it- I didn’t want to see a second child that ill when I could prevent it.

Also I was self employed at the time and could take the time off for CP!

My 5 year old had chickenpox, and ended up in hospital with a very serious secondary skin infection, still has scars today. At the time all the school mums were saying they wished their children had it, I can’t stress enough how horrid it was. If I had a choice now I would vaccinate.

Yes do it. I wish I’d had dc1 done as soon as she was old enough as then she wouldn’t have passed it to dc2 who was 12 weeks at the time and ended up in hospital for over a week with complications. He was so poorly and he has long-term health issues as a result. Obviously he’s an extreme case but it’s not mild for all children.

I had mine done at 3 and 5. I will pay for boosters when they're older if it's recommended. Don't regret it at all!

Absolutely do it.

Our doctor's view was that it's unclear whether childhood jabs give lifelong immunity, but that a booster at 18 should do (obviously it's not been around long enough to test whether it will still protect people now in their old age!).

Even if you do have to have jabs every 10 years or so, why on earth wouldn't you choose that over an illness which is at best nasty, and at worst fatal?

I hate the idea I've heard a few times that chickenpox is a normal part of childhood, almost like a right of passage. Why subject your kids to it just because you had it?

If you can afford it, do it. Just had mine done. In other developed countries it's part of the routine vaccinations in childhood and you'd be considered irresponsible not to. We don't have it here because of NHS, it's not considered cost effective, which I personally find immoral as it can be fatal in rare cases.

I had both my boys vaccinated when the older one was about to start school. He's one of the youngest in his year and I didn't want him to have to have lots of time off school. I had it 3 times when I was a child so I was worried my boys would have the same rubbish immune response to it!

Both my boys were vaccinated for it under the NHS to protect me. I'm not immune (I've had it several times but never developed antibodies - they've checked) and am now immunosuppressed so coming in contact could be very dangerous for me.
It's well studied as a vaccine as its standard in other countries just not in the U.K.