AIBU to take child with chicken pox to an outside event today?

[summerlovingvibes]

Husband has one opinion and I have another. WWYD?

Day 5 of chicken pox for oldest child.
I have 2 other younger children with no signs as yet. But neither have had in the past so probably will get it.

Some scabs starting to form but also still some fresh spots.

Today is booked to go to an outside running event (for kids) this afternoon and we have paid £60 total for this with all children. It was booked mainly for the oldest one who loves to run, but the younger ones will also come and enjoy so I had to buy tickets for all. Outside run with parents, refreshments, few little stalls etc.

Unfortunately oldest one knows about event and has been excited all week - told him about it 2 days before CP started so didn't know to withhold the info.

Would you still take him? Planning on going just for the run, will try to avoid being too close to others. Don't know any other children / parents going so not going to be "chit chatting". Won't go to the stalls / mix and mingle. Will do run then leave.

Husband has one opinion and I have another. WWYD?

Aside from the danger it would be a terrible example to set - that other people being harmed don’t matter to a young child.

Of course you don't go.

You would be enormously unreasonable to do that. No idea who would even consider it.

No you can’t go

No you absolutely cannot take a child with active chicken pox to an outdoor event. Some people get it mildly, some get dangerously ill. My dad caught it off my daughter at the age of 70 (how the hell he’d made it to that age without having had it we don’t know, especially since he was a hands on dad when my sister and I had it), and it was pretty alarming at the time. It took him months to recover. You don’t take chances with other people’s health, it’s massively out of order.

Don’t be a dick. Of course you stay at home.

Well i hope this is the OP’s attitude and it’s the partner who is pushing to attend. Otherwise its a very odd question to ask on MN, where the answer was always going to be fairly obvious.

Yeah but once you've had chicken pox it means you are at danger of having shingles later. If you don't ever get chicken pox you can't get shingles.

No you don't take a child with active chicken pox to a public event. Can't believe it's even up for discussion.

As someone with a Transplant, please please please please please don’t go

several years ago, I took my son to an outdoor picnic party for another child. Unknowingly one of the other children had chickenpox and the mother had bought them thinking outside would be fine. His spots were on his body and not really noticeable so I spent some time around him. The next day I started to come out in the shingles it was that quick. This spread all over my face and I still have desensitisation around my eye, scarring in my cornea, which meant I needed glasses afterwards and scarring on my forehead. I’ve also never felt more ill.

I know there is only the rarest of chances there might be someone there immune compromised but you just never know and for that person it can be life changing please please don’t do it

No, you don't go...

CP is so infectious, easily passed on by your child touching their skin then a surface which someone else touches. Also I imagine it will be very crowded - the chances of your child brushing past or bumping into someone else is high.

Also you will be badly judged by every other parent there... There's a high chance someone will say something to you.

Are you aware that chicken pox is fairly horrific if caught late in pregnancy as well as very dangerous for people with a number of medical conditions? I immunised my children as it would have been very dangerous for my mother who’d never had it to catch it.

I understand well your frustration, as with three children you’re likely to be tied to home for a while. Maybe consider if finances allow getting the other children immunised now. Ask doc but It might reduce the severity even if they won’t be protected completely.

I understand that the plan was to introduce chicken pox vaccination as part of the regular childhood immunisation schedule but then the MMR thing blew up … then there’s the issue of increasing cost etc. The UK is a bit of an outlier in not immunising against it. Most European countries, Australia, US etc all do so.

Running people are unpredictable.
You can't actually guarantee you won't come into close enough contact with anyone.

You would be insanely out of order to go!

Bloody hell, why would you expose lots of other children to the risk of chickenpox for their Easter holidays??

Taking a child with active CP to the event you've described would be totally irresponsible.. It's sad for your dc but that's life.

Ds3 (7) had CP in the last half of Feb half term/first week back in school. Poor bugger missed a class party, a whole rugby team get together that happens twice a year, World Book Day and a school trip. All things he loves and was hugely excited for. I was devastated for him and he was so upset but it is what it is.

I don't care who said what it is no and I can't believe anyone thinks this is a great idea

It costs something like £100 per child?

You definitely can’t take your child with chicken pox . It’s not really an up for discussion question.

Chickenpox infection in pregnancy can be dangerous for both you and your baby, so it's important to seek advice early if you think you may have chickenpox.

Chickenpox is transmitted both through the air and by direct contact. It spreads through the air when someone coughs or sneezes, and through direct contact with blisters or the fluid within them.
https://www.nhs.uk/pregnancy/keeping-well/infections-that-may-affect-your-baby/

You want to possibly kill a baby just to have a run? Are you fucking kidding me?

We don't routinely vaccinate for chickenpox in the UK

The situation should have been managed from the time he got CP. …. oh, I don’t think you’ll be able to go to the run on Saturday, disappointing but these things happen …

Yeah, I thought it was a price worth paying for my two. I think it was £150 each. It's not a surprise cost, so it's something you can save for from when you're trying to get pregnant, if money is an issue.

I hope you are the sensible one saying not to go!

Thanks everyone, I will relay all these opinions and lovely language to my DH to show how strongly people feel.

Won't be replying to individual comments - there's too many and some have been quite rude. I never said this was my opinion, I asked what would you do.

So there's been enough answers for me to show DH it's not just me thinking we shouldn't go.

Your other kids could be highly contagious if they're incubating chickenpox.