Page 3 | To worry my 8 year old hasn’t had chickenpox?

Wannakisstheteacher · 2021-10-12T19:05:51+00:00

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 😱

Xmasbaby11 · 12/10/2021 20:50

I never had it as a child and got vaccinated after dd was born, when I was 35. We had a scare in my pregnancy when dh was exposed to chicken pox. He'd never had it either.

Dd7 has had chicken pox twice, but dd9 not at all. I will probably get her vaccinated next year.

ISeeTheLight · 12/10/2021 20:51

Yes get the vaccine. I've never had chicken pox. When pregnant one of DPs colleagues got it and came into the office joking about it. Turned out DP has also never had it. We both got tested as my midwife was very concerned, and neither of us had antibodies. DP then agreed with work to WFH (was pre covid) for at least 2 weeks, and luckily I didn't catch it but it could have been very bad if I had.

It's a simple vaccine and it's a nasty disease if you get it when older.

Onestep2021 · 12/10/2021 20:52

I thought the vaccine isn’t life long?
Ie. They lose immunity as an adult anyway. Hence natural immunity is always preferable…

Hyacinth88 · 12/10/2021 20:52

We were sure my 10 yea told hadn't. She then got shingles so must have at one point had it v v mildly.
You csn get antibody tests

9nine · 12/10/2021 20:53

My oldest 5 got it over the summer holidays one year, first was my 3 yr old, who then passed it to her 3 brothers 2 weeks later, they were 7, 4 and 12 months, and then 2 weeks later my 4 week old baby got them.

I then had 4 more children and was beginning to wonder if they’d ever get it as they evaded it loads of times at school! Then last November my 6 yr old got them and passed it to her 3 brothers who were 9, 8 and 3.

Original poster

Wannakisstheteacher · 12/10/2021 20:54

@ISeeTheLight did you get vaccinated after you gave birth?

OP posts:

JassyRadlett · 12/10/2021 20:55

The vaccine is more effective in children than in teens and adults, and as others have said will also protect against shingles later in life.

I got it when I was 21. It was fucking horrific. Inside my eyelids, down my throat.

DS1 had it when he was two and had a bad dose, his spots hurt rather than itched and were incredibly deep. He’s ten and still has scars.

DS2 was vaccinated at the first opportunity.

The two dose vaccine is very effective at preventing disease and even in the low number of breakthrough cases it is almost always mild. Waning effectiveness has not been found to be an issue to date either.

DaisyDozyDee · 12/10/2021 20:55

It’s likely to rip through schools this year. I vaccinated my 7 year old, mostly to reduce the chance of him missing another couple of weeks of school or is having to cancel yet another holiday. He’s had so many disappointments due to Covid that it felt worthwhile avoiding one where we could.
It is a live vaccine, so up until about 4-6 weeks after the second jab you need to avoid close contact with vulnerable people, which includes anyone immune suppressed and pregnant women and newborn babies.

PyjamaMamma · 12/10/2021 20:55

I was planning on getting DD vaccinated if she got to the end of primary school without catching it. (Un)luckily for her, she caught it on the summer holidays between Y5 and Y6.

grapewine · 12/10/2021 20:55

Not only is it awful to get as an adult, once you have had chicken pox at any age, the virus remains in your body and can come out as shingles

Exactly, and shingles is its own kind of hell. Hope you can book the vaccine, OP. I definitely would.

WTF475878237NC · 12/10/2021 20:56

I was hospitalised with it at 15 and my immune system then couldn't handle regular viruses for years. If you can get a vaccination I would.

GertrudePerkinsPaperyThing · 12/10/2021 20:58

My Ds had the vaccine as a toddler. Was partly because older dd had it really badly and I didn’t want to see another of my children go through that, and partly because I was self employed and couldn’t take a week off without losing a lot of income and reputation.

ShatParp · 12/10/2021 21:00

I asked the nurse about this recently as my eldest still hasn't had it despite being exposed several times! She advised getting her tested for antibodies towards the end of primary school and then vaccinating if she has none. Her dad had it in his 20s and was really ill with it so I'll definitely get her vaccinated.

GertrudePerkinsPaperyThing · 12/10/2021 21:00

Exh was incredibly ill with shingles and in agony. It was on his forehead and he still had a big scar.

It was the one time I was sure he wasn’t being a hypochondriac - unlike the time he had a cold and claimed it was Ebola

MadKittenWoman · 12/10/2021 21:06

I caught it aged 30 (chickenpox, not shingles) and it was a nightmare. Worse for me than both measles and mumps which I had as a child. Get it sorted asap.

Dora33 · 12/10/2021 21:08

I also caught the chicken pox as an adult, covered in spots every where and had a terrible couple of weeks. As a child I never caught them despite family members and friends all having them. Definitely get the vaccine.

legalseagull · 12/10/2021 21:12

@MRex

Just get the vaccine, not sure why you wouldn't?

It's really expensive for one reason

PlanDeRaccordement · 12/10/2021 21:22

@MRex
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.

But chickenpox vaccine has only been available for 25yrs and shingles usually affects people aged 50+. Shingles is rare in children/young people. The only study I know of, said that in the US, the vaccine has reduced shingles in unvaccinated children by 72% and vaccinated children by 78% and is largely credited to the high uptake of the chicken pox vaccine reducing the amount of the wild virus circulating rather than the vaccine itself protecting against shingles.

LynetteScavo · 12/10/2021 21:24

I don't have chicken pox as a child, so had the vaccination aged 19.

I guess all the kids who would have caught chicken pox when they were three or four will now get it aged five or six...unless schools keep bubbles in place, and those DC might avoid it for another year.

FangsForTheMemory · 12/10/2021 21:26

OP, can you ask on your local Facebook group if anyone's kids have got it to let you know so you can send your 8 yo over to try and infect him? Just a thought. I've no idea how it's transmitted tbh, I got it when I was 6, I remember the first spot.

Nuttymonkey · 12/10/2021 21:35

I've been thinking about this for my 13 year old... I thought he had it as he got 3 spots but then it didn't get any worse and I had changed the washing powder at the same time so could have been that.
I deliberately saliva swapped with his chicken pox siblings twice and still no outbreak!
What happens if you vaccinate them and they've actually had it before?
And for someone saying it's a live virus, does that mean they could pass it on to my younger children who haven't had it yet??

Inwithangeroutwithlove · 12/10/2021 21:40

Recently got DS(12) vaccinated as he’d not had it yet as mainly didn’t want to risk more time off school and DH had it as an adult and was quite ill. Mentioned to a friend that I as planning to book it, she told me a family member of hers got it as an adult and died (chicken pox spots in airway and underlying asthma). Probably difficult to get at Boots at the moment as it is fl vaccination season

MRex · 12/10/2021 21:48

[quote PlanDeRaccordement]@MRex
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.

But chickenpox vaccine has only been available for 25yrs and shingles usually affects people aged 50+. Shingles is rare in children/young people. The only study I know of, said that in the US, the vaccine has reduced shingles in unvaccinated children by 72% and vaccinated children by 78% and is largely credited to the high uptake of the chicken pox vaccine reducing the amount of the wild virus circulating rather than the vaccine itself protecting against shingles.[/quote]
This is recent and fairly clear: www.scientificamerican.com/article/two-for-one-chickenpox-vaccine-lowers-shingles-risk-in-children/.

853ax · 12/10/2021 21:57

I think as so many children are now vaccinated there is very little chickenpox about I really think it is over 3 or 4 years since I've seen a notice in Crèche about it.
When my eldest was young (6-7years ago) seemed to be cases few times a year

Monsoon92 · 12/10/2021 22:02

I've got a 2 year old and a 4 month old - if I wanted to get my 2yo vaccinated, when should I do it? As in, what age would it be safe for her to be around her younger sister, given that it's a live vaccine? Should I wait until DD2 is 1?

And how long does immunity last? I don't want to do it too early and have immunity wane before they are at the age of getting pregnant as surely that's more of a worry for them?