To think it's bonkers to not vaccinate against chicken pox

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Especially if you have multiple kids who haven't had it who would probably get it back to back meaning potentially 2-3 weeks off work for parents while waiting for them to scab over.

Genuinely curious as to why people don't vaccinate. It is more expensive to have the time off work than to vaccinate and it's a nasty uncomfortable avoidable illness for kids and a standard vaccine for a lot of the rest of the world. So if you haven't, why not?

YANBU - it causes scarring and is uncomfortable and rarely does have complications. All my kids caught it but I had my youngest vaccinated against it - it's a no brainer.

It's expensive.

I luckily have never had chicken pox, neither has DD, it's a common childhood illness that doesn't cause long-term damage.

Been around it many times.

I don't take the flu injection, nor do my children.

DS had chicken pox over Christmas, it was a mild dose.

I thought he might be lucky like me.

I have only had the flu once in 2023.

Maybe in my 50's.

DH and I both had it during primary, very mild, my only memory is my mum chasing me round the garden with a bottle of calamine lotion, and me asking to go back to school, no scars. So I didn't think I needed to vaccinate.
DD1 had it aged 2 and was very unwell, ended up in hospital and off nursery for a month until well enough to go back, she is 9 now and still has scars from it on her face and body. DD2 was vaccinated as soon as able, there was no way I was risking going through that again.

My usually robust 4 year old DD has just had it, and is absolutely covered. She ended up on antibiotics, as if developed into a secondary pneumonia. Thankfully we avoided hospital. She was screaming in pain with some of the spots. I hugely, hugely regret not getting her vaccinated. She's going to have marks on her skin for months, poor love.
It makes me realise how people who don't vaccinate their kids are taking HUGE risks.
I'd be on edge constantly if my DDs hadn't had any vaccines.
If you are not sure about the chickenpox vaccine, I would say definitely go for it. Honestly my poor DD has really been unwell.

Both of mine are vaccinated. One of the best decisions we’ve made and well worth the money. Not all our friends vaccinated their DCs. Reasons were
Didn’t know you could get the vaccine until after their Dc got chickenpox
One parent doesn’t work so not so much of a necessity with taking time off work
Knew about it but didn’t see the importance, and regretted not getting it when their kids got chickenpox

It can cause long term damage aswell as complications that need hospital. It’s usually mild but not always.

My decision was based on me not wanting to expose my daughter to a potential very nasty illness if it could be avoided.

Same

This literally isn’t true, what IS true is that the first vaccinated children have only had it for 20 years so we don’t yet know if protection will wane. Don’t cite myths as facts

It’s expensive and I don’t lose money when I I have time off work. It’s common to have paid leave in salaried jobs 🤨

it's a common childhood illness that doesn't cause long-term damage.

It's pretty harmful to an unborn foetus if a pregnant woman gets it, I certainly wouldn't risk it with a daughter of mine.

I had chicken pox as a child and caught it again as an adult and it was awful. Friends of ours, their baby ended up very ill in hospital with it and is covered in scars. Our 2 children are vaccinated. The messaging about less immunity and wearing off etc isn't correct anymore from what we were told.

Errrrrr this ? Yes of course we should vaccinate but the UK currently doesn't. Surely it would also mean that shingles would be less likely when our kids are adults and that is a good thing ? Hopefully they will get on with it.

Tbh I never even knew there was one when my oldest children were little, all 5 had it in 2007, eldest DD, then two weeks later 3 DS’s and 2 weeks after that newborn DD, I was a sahm so no issue with time off work.
then youngest 4 had it in 2020, again sahm so didn’t affect me with time off work, youngest DD caught it then the 3 DS’s 2 weeks later.

My son's paediatrician said she didn't recommend it so we didn't. My dc had chicken pox and were all ill for 2 weeks each.

I mean it can be. It’s certainly not a given, pregnant women fairly commonly get chickenpox. I did in fact.

No. Anyone who has had chicken pox or the vaccine can get shingles (much more likely with catching chicken pox). Anyone who hasn't had to the vaccine or chicken pox is at risk of getting it much more severely as an adult.

Had mine vaccinated. Mostly for their benefit, but also we have closed family members on immunosuppressants and steroids who would be at risk from exposure. You have to ask, when even America is willing to pay for all children to be vaccinated, what aren't we?

When my eldest 2 were small it wasn’t a thing, or was much more expensive and neither of them had it badly at all, separately you’d have never known they had it really no scarring etc either, no 3 was the same(mild) and got it at playgroup, then my youngest caught it from him. And I’ve never wished I had vaccinated a child so much! He’s that kid, gets everything 10 times worse than everyone else. Will be glad when they eventually implement the vaccine in the uk
schedule.
. I’m a paeds nurse and many children I see have been vaccinated, I’ve nursed many sick children with infected chicken pox. Thankfully never had anything more serious than infected pox though that is in 18 years.

You have to ask, when even America is willing to pay for all children to be vaccinated, what aren't we?

Not sure this is a good example because the reason it'll be so heavily pushed in the US will be because of big pharma and capitalism, they lobby HARD.

It's pretty harmful to an unborn foetus if a pregnant woman gets it, I certainly wouldn't risk it with a daughter of mine.

I am sure many viruses are.

When my DD decides to start family planning she can organise it.

Chicken pox vaccination is very rare in Ireland, probably less so the last decade.

Thankfully I have never met anyone who's been impacted while pregnant.

This year babies born in 2024 will be eligible for the vaccination.

Main reason I didn't is I don't know about it being an option til after on of my kids got it anyway, and then the other did. Also when I first heard about it I thought it was more expensive than it is (£150 I would have considered) however I do think the continual point from the OP that the vaccine is cheaper than time off work shows a lack of understanding of both paid leave and non working parents . . .

• I'm in a salaried job in the public sector and could get easily get a mix of paid annual leave and paid parental leave to look after my kids if needed
• however, in reality I would be unlikely to take much leave at all due to (1) being able to work from (realise this less feasible when kids very young) and
• (2) my husbands work being pretty flexible too so we'd share it between us

Also of course some parents aren't working at all . . .

You do that every time you leave the house.

I desperately wanted to get both of mine vaccinated and shit luck stopped it happening. DD caught chicken pox in 2020 when she was one, while they weren’t offering the vaccine during lockdown, so it was too late. Then she caught it again and was really poorly.

Then 3 years later she caught it again and gave it to the baby who would have been vaccinated after his MMR so it was too late for him too. I’m waiting for him to get it again at some point.

That's fair enough re paid leave. I think for a lot of people working from home just isn't an option, and depentant leave is given but unpaid. Annual leave may be possible depending on what has already been taken but back to back infections for multiple kids will still rattle through it.