To hunt down these bastards who exposed my son to chicken pox

[littleredbumblebee]

User name changed as outing

went on a caravan holiday last week for 5 nights and my son who is 11 played with some kids from other families and had a great time- all good

On the last night one of the smaller boys was running around with no shirt on and he has spots, one of the other families asked and his mum said oh he has chicken pox but we though getting away would do him good.

I told her my son had never had chicken pox and said I bloody hoped my son was not going to come down with them. One of the other parents also said they should not have brought the kid. Basically it ended up with them going inside the caravan in a huff. The next day we all left

So today the day before my son is use to start at high school he woke up covered in spots and now has chicken pox and won’t be in for his first week at high school. Tonight he is now crying saying he won’t name any friends now and he won’t know his way around and no amount of comforting will calm him down. Very few kids for his school are going to this high school and he is so upset he will have missed out on making friends.

We have been in touch with his form tutor who has been great and has said they will support him and catch him up but I could bloody scream. How can some people be so bloody selfish.

After 2 doses the vaccine is 98% effective in children, 75% in teens and adults, so, yes, there are some breakthrough infections, most mild. Lucky him not to have been very ill!

They were always that serious. People just didn’t have as much access to information, and were doing their best to protect their children in whatever ways they could. Vaccines are a better, safer method of protection. Why choose a dangerous way (pox party) that could leave your child scarred, blinded, brain damaged etc., when you don’t need to?

In the UK, most vaccinations that are standard elsewhere are not available. I paid privately, but it was several hundred pounds. Given children are encouraged to attend school sick in the UK, even when they have Covid, nothing surprises me. The result is lots and lots of young folks unable to work due to longterm sickness. It's just culturally different.

This

That is annoying, I feel they should have warned parents if they took him there and let him play outside near others. Pregnant women, elderly etc are at risk not just your son.

Being Devils Advocate, having Chicken Pox as an adult can be dangerous and more stronger. Having it as a child is safer, if he hasn’t had CP he was at risk everywhere. It may have been better to have got the vaccine if he hadn’t caught it by Year 2, that’s the general consensus around here.

Sorry to hear he is missing out on the first few days of a new school, however all kids are moving around in the first few months he will fit right in when he’s ready.

Better for your child to get it while he's young although I thi k those patents were irresponsible

That’s so sad that you speak to people in this way. Really is.

Awareness of the vaccine being available is low - it is not promoted in the UK, although it is available privately. If you don't know it exists, you can't make sure your kids have it. NHS don't think it's worth doing as part of normal childhood vaccines, so that makes people think twice about it if they even do know.

And the cost is a barrier, especially at a time when so many people (clearly not those buying Oasis tickets) are struggling. It is not cheap to vaccinate something which basically is a mild childhood illness (for most.)

It's very bad timing when he will just want to fit in with all the others starting a new school.
The positive side is he gets chicken pox over now whilst he's young and it should be relatively mild. It's a lot more serious to get it as an adult and can have very unpleasant complications then.

I has it as an adult at 27, it was horrendous. It was 6 weeks before my wedding and I thought I would have to cancel it. They were in my hair ( I had thick long hair at the time) I was covered, you couldn’t put a pin between them, the spots were painful as well as itchy. I cannot bear the smell of calomine lotion now!

The only plus side was I did lose half a stone as they were all down my throat …. I existed on ready break and Ribena for two weeks…..

Well he was likely to have to catch it at some point then. Better now.than during exam time or as an adult when the infection can be much more serious. Best to get it out of the way while he’s young.

I feel for you. Many, many years ago my DS attended playschool and another parent brought in a child who had whooping cough without telling anyone. This was during a scare that whooping cough vaccine could cause fits (I think) and my DS had not had the vaccine because we were not sure that his grandmother did not have a form of epilepsy (our doctor told us to check before we even thought of a vaccine). Long story short, MiL fits revealed as hysteria, so DS booked in for the vaccine along with my then 11-week-old DD. My DS caught whooping cough and gave it to my baby DD. Both were only mildly ill so we were lucky, but I was so angry. Another parent had assumed it was ok to leave her DC to infect other children at playschool without a thought that some of them (very likely) had younger DBs or DS who could be seriously ill and perhaps die from contracting whooping cough because they were too young to be vaccinated (vaccine was given at 12 weeks).
Stupid parents to do such a thing. How do they know their infectious child won't meet a child who is immune compromised and relying on herd immunity, that someone has a small baby who could be very ill?
I'd want to murder them - I certainly would have given the (unknown to me) parent a sharp piece of my mind had I been able to.

You could have least filtered the OP's replies.

I'll leave you to do so.

Is this in the UK? I don't remember either of mine having the vaccine for chicken pox (I am in the UK). They are 100% up to date with their vaccinations. It's not relevant, I'm just curious.
It was very selfish of that family to knowingly take their child out socially whilst they have chicken pox. However, it's probably best they get it now. Chicken pox is worse the older you get. Really terrible timing with high school. Great that their tutor has been so helpful and understanding. Hope they settle in well when they get back, I'm sure they will.

I feel sorry for your son but most children get it much younger, so I'm surprised he hasn't had it up till now. 11 is still quite young & it's often much worse the older you are when you get it, so you could look at it as better now than when older. I had a friend who got it at 16 & my exh got it in his 40's & both had it really badly & were very ill. I hope your son recovers quickly & can settle into school when he finally goes but I can seecwhy he's upset about it.

He will be fine, he will catch up and make friends the second week. Not good being exposed to chicken pox but some parents are irresponsible

It isn't offered as part of the standard UK childrens vaccinations, but many people choose to pay privately for it. It costs about £150 for 2 doses a few weeks apart.

I hope your son is better soon OP.
I'd be fuming too.

My DS was born overseas and routinely vaccinated against chicken pox. We moved back to the UK when he was 8 and less than a year later he developed chicken pox. An anecdote is not a statistic but I don’t think breakthrough infections are that rare

It will be over and forgotten soon.
He will make friends and you will forget all about it.

but many people choose to pay privately for it.

They really really don't. 90% of children don't have the vaccine.

This!

I hope your son feels better soon, and I'm sure he'll settle in quickly and make friends!

I caught it at 16 from my brother. He had 2 spots I nearly died I was so ill. Hopefully he will be uncomfortable dor a week and make friends when he goes back to school. If you know any young children who haven't had it invite them round. I went to loads of chicken pox parties as a child and never caught it until I was q6. I can still remember how dreadful I felt.

The UK is one of the only countries in the developed world where they don't vaccinate against chicken pox as part of the standard schedule. The US, most of Europe and even South Africa have it on their schedule. Most countries only have 1 dose as its over 80% effective/- in the UK with the horrible virus still floating about you generally need two.. I had my older one vaccinated but unfortunately my 9 month old got it and was incredibly ill.. it's really dangerous for babies anc pregnant women .. was very angry too.. so sorry your son will miss his first weeks OP- that's really hard on you both !

You don’t have to be playing, sat next to a child to be exposed! That’s the whole point it’s that contagious.If you know your child has chicken pox, you are supposed to isolate.
I thought that was just common sense, but obviously not.