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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To worry my 8 year old hasn’t had chickenpox?

167 replies

Wannakisstheteacher · 12/10/2021 20:05

Talking to a friend today reminded me DS3 hasn’t had chickenpox. His elder siblings had it before he was born. Is this something I should worry about, or maybe pay to have him vaccinated against now as he’s unlikely to catch it at this point? Having asked a few other friends DS is the only one not to have had it 😱

OP posts:
DartmoorChef · 12/10/2021 20:27

I had it at 27. It was awful.

Porcupineintherough · 12/10/2021 20:27

I wouldnt at 8 but I would consider it (vaccination) if he got to his mid terns and still hadnt had it.

rrhuth · 12/10/2021 20:29

[quote Wannakisstheteacher]@MRex I’m wavering because I’ve always felt it would be better to get it ‘naturally’ as it stimulates the lifelong immune response. The vaccine isn’t 100% effective so I guess I’ve just been hoping he’d eventually have it like his siblings.[/quote]
This was precisely why our GP advised us to give a little longer - because infection immunity is better than vaccine immunity.

Mrsbclinton · 12/10/2021 20:29

My child is 8 and hasnt got them either. Older siblings got them at a much younger age.
Its something I never really thought about as I was 12 when I got them & didn’t know it was more severe the older you got.

APurpleSquirrel · 12/10/2021 20:29

We're in exactly the same position - DD 7 hasn't had it yet & now getting increasingly worried about her getting it later & being very ill.
DSIL had it in her teens & has very bad scarring from it.
I think we will get DD vaccinated - it's just a case of when.

violetbunny · 12/10/2021 20:31

I had it when I was 11, it was awful and I still have scarring. I would just get him vaccinated.

whatswithtodaytoday · 12/10/2021 20:32

Get vaccinated. Why not? I had chicken pox at 19 and it was horrible, I had visible scars for years and I missed some uni.

My son's nursery have had two outbreaks in the past 18 months, so it definitely hasn't gone away. He's vaccinated and hasn't caught it.

Letsgetquizzy · 12/10/2021 20:33

I don't think chickenpox has gone away - my older 3 DC got it in 2012 when DC1 was in reception and passed it on. DC4
got it last year when in reception, despite the bubbles, extra cleaning etc and it went through all of them.

Having said that, I had it when I was 19 - I felt awful for one day, the rest of the time, I was just itchy. The only thing is that anecdote is fine, but I imagine it could very easily have gone some other way, so probably best to trust your instincts/science and go for the vaccine.

whatswithtodaytoday · 12/10/2021 20:35

Not everyone gets a lifelong immune response. I know someone who's had it three times. I get weird chicken poxy spots on my hand where my first spot appeared when I'm run down.

Your child might need a booster after around 15 years - they can decide for themselves by then.

MRex · 12/10/2021 20:35

[quote Wannakisstheteacher]@MRex I’m wavering because I’ve always felt it would be better to get it ‘naturally’ as it stimulates the lifelong immune response. The vaccine isn’t 100% effective so I guess I’ve just been hoping he’d eventually have it like his siblings.[/quote]
You have to get both doses for longer immunity, then no evidence of waning unless you've seen some research I haven't? Most important motive for me was that DS would be less likely to get shingles if he had the vaccine rather than "natural" infection. I guess that's not a factor for some people and you can vaccinate for shingles in later life, but it was important for me as some friends and family were quite poorly from shingles.

Mumobag · 12/10/2021 20:36

[quote Wannakisstheteacher]@MRex I’m wavering because I’ve always felt it would be better to get it ‘naturally’ as it stimulates the lifelong immune response. The vaccine isn’t 100% effective so I guess I’ve just been hoping he’d eventually have it like his siblings.[/quote]
I think studies are still ongoing into the longevity of the vaccine but even if it becomes less effective after 20-30 years, they can just get a booster.
We've vaccinated both our children, because it's safe and available and we had the means to prevent them catching an unpleasant and uncomfortable illness that can (rarely) be more serious, so for us it seemed like a no-brainer.

caketiger · 12/10/2021 20:38

I had it aged 25, it was beep awful. Two weeks very ill and about six weeks recovering fully.

purplecorkheart · 12/10/2021 20:39

I got the chickenpox in my late 20s. I was very lucky it was very very mild dose mainly in my scalp. I can't say I was unwell with them. However I think I may have been a random case.

Rizzoli123 · 12/10/2021 20:40

My son is 6 and his brother 4 touch wood have never had it

NigelSlatersXmasTaters · 12/10/2021 20:41

I can't fathom why you wouldn't get the vaccine. Really, it's not worth the risk to just leave it to chance. I know a teen who was hospitalised with pox on their eyes and in their mouth, so awful.

My eldest has been vaccinated because he didn't catch it early on

FreeBritnee · 12/10/2021 20:42

I paid for my eight year old to have the vaccine earlier this year.

NigelSlatersXmasTaters · 12/10/2021 20:43

"My son is 6 and his brother 4 touch wood have never had it"

They're only little though. Will you get them vaccinated if they don't catch it soon? Surely won't just leave them vulnerable to it as they get older?

Thirder · 12/10/2021 20:45

How much do you pay for it?

thislifetoo · 12/10/2021 20:45

I'd get the vaccine, I decided to for my 2 dc's. My siblings and I had it when young and my dad caught it never having had it before and was hospitalised and nearly died, thankfully he didn't, he's absolutely covered in scars now though.

LastToBePicked · 12/10/2021 20:47

@MRex

Just get the vaccine, not sure why you wouldn't?
£140 isn’t a trivial amount of money for many people?
ohdeariforgot · 12/10/2021 20:47

I wish we had vaccinated against chicken pox. My teenager has hundreds of scars and narrowly avoided hospitalisation from a really horrid dose of chickenpox at six.

Lightswitch123 · 12/10/2021 20:48

Just get them vaccinated

Original poster
Wannakisstheteacher · 12/10/2021 20:48

@Thirder it’s £140 at Boots. I’m trying to get an appointment for DS now.

OP posts:
SirenSays · 12/10/2021 20:49

My nephew got chicken pox when I was 17, my parents told me I'd already had it. Of course I caught it from him, then they remembered it was actually my sister they were thinking of. I had flu symptoms and a high fever. I wasn't itchy at all, just covered in spots, some of them badly scarred.

ohtwatbollocks · 12/10/2021 20:49

I had chicken pox when I was 15, it was a pain but the effectiveness of the vaccine only lasts about 10 years and no way would I go and get a vaccine every 10 years(not because I'm anti vax, just lazy and quite poor!) so I'm glad I got chicken pox when I did and I'm glad my mum didn't get me vaccinated for it.