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AIBU?

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Original poster

Chicken Pox

88 replies

Chely · 12/02/2022 12:23

Would you intentionally take your child to see another child with chicken pox so they catch it?

YABU - no way!

YANBU - yes, best they have it young.

OP posts:
coldfeetmama · 12/02/2022 12:27

YANBU

I did this when mine were young
None were very poorly or have any remaining scars now

LoseLooseLucy · 12/02/2022 12:28

Too right I would. DP was 37 and caught it for the first time off our 4 year old. She was fine and he was at deaths door for a fortnight.
My 7 year old hasn't had it and I wish he had.

dementedpixie · 12/02/2022 12:28

No because it isn't always a mild illness. Fair enough of you unaware of the chickenpox but once you know its there you should stay away from others until the scab over.

dementedpixie · 12/02/2022 12:30

Or you could pay for the chickenpox vaccine and then they would be less likely to get it at all

If they get chickenpox under 1 year they are at increased risk of childhood shingles (ds had CP at 6 months and shingles age 3)

dementedpixie · 12/02/2022 12:30

@LoseLooseLucy

Too right I would. DP was 37 and caught it for the first time off our 4 year old. She was fine and he was at deaths door for a fortnight. My 7 year old hasn't had it and I wish he had.
Why not get your 7 year old vaccinated?
bobsholi · 12/02/2022 12:33

I had mine vaccinated. Chickenpox is currently doing the rounds at school and I'm so glad I won't have to go through the sleepless nights and childcare issues. It was well worth the money!

TheVolturi · 12/02/2022 12:35

Hmmm. It's a hard one. Mine had it all one after each other. They were 2, 5 and 6. The 5 year old got it first and was spotty but not unwell. The 2 and 6 got it next. 2 year old was absolutely covered in spots but not unwell, apart from a day or so of fever which didn't bother her. The 6 year old was covered in every part of his body including in throat and privates, and very poorly with it for a whole week. I took from this that the older you are the worse it is, and I'd think that it's best to get it while toddler /reception age, or get the vaccine.

LoseLooseLucy · 12/02/2022 12:36

I may have been misinformed dementedpixie, I was told it wasn't available until the child was 10? I absolutely will have it done now if it's possible, my son is autistic too so the itching would be near impossible to manage if he did get it.

JassyRadlett · 12/02/2022 12:39

This is such a bizarre attitude. Most kids aren’t seriously ill but some have a nasty time and are left with lasting scars. And you’re setting them up for a lifetime risk of shingles.

If you can afford to have them vaccinated privately instead, I would do that every time.

I didn’t get my eldest vaccinated soon enough and he had quite a nasty case with a lot of pain and he still has visible scars nine years on, and I know he’s more likely to get shingles in adulthood too.

The UK is such an outlier in terms of vaccinating kids against chicken pox.

HamCob · 12/02/2022 12:44

@dementedpixie

Or you could pay for the chickenpox vaccine and then they would be less likely to get it at all

If they get chickenpox under 1 year they are at increased risk of childhood shingles (ds had CP at 6 months and shingles age 3)

Yes!

I paid for DS to have the vaccine at boots. Chicken pox is unpleasant even if your child gets an uncomplicated dose.
I've suffered from recurring shingles through adulthood. This wouldn't happen if I'd never had chickenpox.

HamCob · 12/02/2022 12:46

@LoseLooseLucy

I may have been misinformed dementedpixie, I was told it wasn't available until the child was 10? I absolutely will have it done now if it's possible, my son is autistic too so the itching would be near impossible to manage if he did get it.
Have a look on the boots website. My DS was 5 but I'm sure they can have the vaccination from 1yr +
LoseLooseLucy · 12/02/2022 12:51

Thanks HamCob, I'm going to book it for Boots. I thought it would have to be done at the GPs. It will be worth it knowing he'll be spared the horrible itching and possible scarring.

notasillysausage · 12/02/2022 12:52

I was in hospital with chicken pox as a child. My middle child got very poorly, absolutely covered in pox, you couldn’t see any normal skin on the top of her back and it’s scarred a lot despite not scratching. I got my youngest the vaccine. It’s not always a disease you can treat at home. Other developed countries vaccinate their children against it.

October2020 · 12/02/2022 12:52

Vaccine is from 1+. We went to Epicare.

3xmonsters · 12/02/2022 12:54

We vaccinated recently at Boots for our 6year old. So nice to know she doesn't have to get it.

Lou98 · 12/02/2022 12:54

My Son is only 9 months so not thought about it yet but I'm sure I read on here the vaccine is only effective for 10 years or something like that? Surely it's then more of a risk if they get it as an adult.
Can anybody tell me if that's true?
If not then I'd like to get my Son vaccinated when he's older but after reading it on here it put me off!

minipie · 12/02/2022 12:55

Yes the vaccine can be done from age 1. I think they need two jabs to be fully covered, iirc. Many private medical clinics offer it.

NurseDread · 12/02/2022 12:56

Yabvu. Get them vaccinated

minipie · 12/02/2022 12:56

No there is no evidence the jab wears off any quicker than natural immunity. Either can wear off but just as likely either way.

Many other countries offer the jab as standard for all children, it’s a great shame we don’t IMO.

RoRoYoYo · 12/02/2022 13:01

YABU. Mine have both had chickenpox and also been vaccinated. However if they hadn't then I wouldn't be taking them. Two of my friends have had DC in hospital with chickenpox.

HamCob · 12/02/2022 13:02

@Lou98

My Son is only 9 months so not thought about it yet but I'm sure I read on here the vaccine is only effective for 10 years or something like that? Surely it's then more of a risk if they get it as an adult. Can anybody tell me if that's true? If not then I'd like to get my Son vaccinated when he's older but after reading it on here it put me off!
I asked this at boots and was told that they don't have any long term evidence yet as to how long it lasts. It would be possible to have the vaccine again though later in life if evidence showed that immunity wore off.
JassyRadlett · 12/02/2022 13:04

@Lou98

My Son is only 9 months so not thought about it yet but I'm sure I read on here the vaccine is only effective for 10 years or something like that? Surely it's then more of a risk if they get it as an adult. Can anybody tell me if that's true? If not then I'd like to get my Son vaccinated when he's older but after reading it on here it put me off!
No. This is an old myth, based on the early evidence from mass vaccination in other countries where it was shown that immunity lasted at least ten years - which aligned with how long the mass vaccination programme had been running. That was twisted to ‘only’ ten years by those with I assume motivations to undermine the vaccine.

As the vaccine has been around longer, that window keeps getting bigger too. The two dose vaccine is also more effective (and may last longer) than single dose.

There are also not huge outbreaks of chicken pox in adults in countries that have been vaccinating for many years now.

There is good evidence, however, that the vaccine is less effective when given in the teens or adulthood than in childhood.

Footnote · 12/02/2022 13:07

If you cared about your child having immunity to chickenpox, wouldn’t you choose the means of obtaining it that didn’t make them ill and at risk of hospitalisation, i.e. the vaccine?

Lou98 · 12/02/2022 13:07

@HamCob @JassyRadlett thank you both! I'll definitely look at the vaccine when my Son is old enough to get it then. As I say it was just on here I seen it and he's still under 1 so I hadn't looked too much in to it but it did make me wonder! Good to know that Boots do it too!

JassyRadlett · 12/02/2022 13:13

No worries @Lou98, it’s so easy for these things to take hold! I still kick myself for not vaccinating my eldest (he got it just before he turned 2, it was on my ‘to do’ list, sigh…)

I got it when I was 21 and it was appalling.