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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think if your kids have chicken pox and its not scabbed up, you should stay away?

51 replies

lisad123 · 20/04/2009 21:53

DH took DD1 and DD2 to the farm today with my sister there to help with their children too. DD1 sat next to a little girl with Chicken pox, and then hence Dh was exposed to it too. My sister told him, and Im pretty sure she wouldnt have been worried if it was all scabbed up. So now Dh has to have another round of drugs, as chemo has killed all imummity he had!

I know chicken pox isnt major for most people but surely people know its not safe for everyone! Good job misdee's hubby wasnt there otherwise he'd be the same

OP posts:
EldonAve · 21/04/2009 08:27

YANBU but current advice is you don't have to wait til they are scabbed just 5 days from the onset

fanjoforthemammaries7850 · 21/04/2009 08:32

No, they are only infectious for about 2 days before the spots appear!

fanjoforthemammaries7850 · 21/04/2009 08:33

(that was to Cazzaben)

lisa - YANBU at all

fanjoforthemammaries7850 · 21/04/2009 08:33

and i meant infectious for 2 days before and then until they are crusted over!!

Original poster
lisad123 · 21/04/2009 19:17

Darren is not happy, he has to have drugs for next 2 weeks!

OP posts:
lljkk · 21/04/2009 19:20

Is everyone on this thread going to campaign for a chickenpox jab to be added to the existing schedule of immunisations for babies and toddlers? If not, why not?

kitkatqueen · 21/04/2009 21:59

Personally not. At present the vaccination only lasts for ten years. In america children are vaccinated prior to starting school in most states. ie age 5 ish. 10 years later they are 15, then at 25 and so on. if they do not get their booster for some reason they are open to a much more severe dose of it. Someone has told me that it can have fertility repercussions, but I haven't had time to google.

I think it would be better to impose a fine on people who take their kids out when they should be in quarranteen (sp?) and / send out leaflets stating the risk to other people and why the child must be quarranteened.

There are people out there who just don't give a s**t but from the responses I have had when talking to people about this, most people don't realise its dangerous to anyone.

misdee · 21/04/2009 22:17

oh this little girl had 'fresh' chickenpox. i glanced up and saw her, and asked sparklygothkat to go have a look and double check.

my dd4 hasnt had chickenpox yet (my other dd's caught it pre dh-transplant), but am going to check out the jab for her, as would rather be safe.

we are fortunuat that so far peter hasnt been knowingly exposed to chicken pox, but am sure it will happen eventually.

when i sa the spotty girl, my heart just sank, as knew lisa's dh would have to get anti-virals.

kitkatqueen · 21/04/2009 22:26

Misdee, did anyone explain to the girls parents the ramifications of her being there?? Just curious...

misdee · 21/04/2009 22:39

i just wanted lisa's dh ouyt of there as quickly as possible, and tbh i couldnt tell a mother off in front of er young child, its not the kids fault after all.

i was hoping i'd see her outside and could have a quiet word, but didnt see her again.

used2bthin · 21/04/2009 22:40

YANBU, my DD is at risk from illnesses like chicken pox, and is hospitalised each time she catches a sick bug. I have been very surprised by some parents lack of caution with this sort of thing, often it genuinely does seem to be a lack of awareness, ie they think the child is no longer contagious if they are not actually vomiting. Just because for the majority these things aren't a risk doesn't mean they can't be extremely dangerous for some.

Cazzaben · 21/04/2009 23:29

Sorry Both of my sons had it last month and I was told that it is infectious for 14 days.
I was wrong sorry...

FAQinglovely · 22/04/2009 07:55

"I think it would be better to impose a fine on people who take their kids out when they should be in quarranteen "

yikes isn't that a little harsh? I mean it's one thing someone taking their child to a farm (as in the OP) surely it's an entirely different matter if there's something you need to get and have no-one else to go for you and don't have time to wait for 3 days for an internet shop to be delivered?

susiey · 22/04/2009 18:18

my dc both got chicken pox with 3 weeks between them to my knowledge my dd didn't give it to any children at her nursery ( obv before the spots came out) and was all scabbed over by 7 days after - its not unreasonable for people to stay at home for 7 days really with something so serious foe some people.

my son was able to go to his childminder because all the children there had already had it and they weren't going out - handy!

Its quite selfish to do all but essential trips ( there are some unavoidable ones like running to get milk if you've got no one to help or in my case nursery runs)

kitkatqueen · 22/04/2009 22:06

faqinglovely

Maybe I'm just incredibly lucky that I take after your name dd1 recently got chicken pox, as she scabbed up dd2 broke out, 3 days later ds(no3) broke out, and whether it makes any odds or not to add to the chaos I was in the middle of having my house decorated and i'm 5 mnths pregs. My friends made sure that I my fridge was filled up with milk etc at all times, they all rang me before they did their own shopping and added mine to the list. They gave me their house keys and I spent the daytime when the decorator was in effectively hiding in their houses and when I had to take ds to the gp because he was so sick, my friends watched my other children. My dp has been working away so he was not able to help much.

On 2 occasions I took dd1 to school when the other 2 were still contagious, and I made a point of arriving early so that I could park in the one space visible from the playground and I left the contagious 2 in the car. I stood at the fence so I could watch dd1 go into school and the other 2 at the same time.

Whilst I was doing this other parents were bringing their children into the playground covered in wet spots. There were parents in the playground who should not be subjected to it and one women had a baby in the playground who was born vv prem and has only recently been let out of hospital.

I can understand people who don't have such fabulous friends as mine needing to grab milk etc. But I think its v out of order to take a kid in that condition out on a playday!

I honestly think that people need to be educated in the dangers their child poses to others and be more responsible.

lljkk · 23/04/2009 02:57

Must be nice to have so many helpful friends.
Not everyone is so lucky.
DS2 just came out with cp, DS3 will be next. I don't have anyone to deliver or collect other DC to/from school for the next few weeks.
I can't imagine what it would be like trying to live quarantine as a a single mum of school age dc, or for anyone who can't get a credit card (kind of blows the whole delivered shopping idea away).
If you truly believe in full quarantine or fines () for people with cp, then you MUST endorse cp jabs as routine. You cannot punish people or expect them to turn their lives upside down without that as the obvious alternative.
SIGH.

lljkk · 23/04/2009 03:18

Don't know why people are saying the jab only provides 10 yrs immunity; most sources I can find say that one dose will give 75-85% of the population lifelong immunity, and a booster dose will increase that % significantly (see here).

However risky cp is to some, recall that exposure to wild cp is good for many adults, it prevents deaths -- by reducing the risk of shingles (read more).

kitkatqueen · 23/04/2009 10:09

Sorry, but I don't see the problem of staying in for a week or 2. If you broke your legs you would find an alternative method of getting food etc. I was stuck in at home for a week b4 the easter holidays and then the entire easter holiday. Thats 3 weeks. my dp has been working away so effectivley I have been a single parent. My children and I spent lots of time playing and making up activities. dd2 who is 3 now knows most of her phonics because we have been playing eye spy with phonic cards and we have played lots of silly games like rock paper scissor we have planted lots of seeds, played in the garden and made funky bunting to go up in their room. ( yes I have also spent lots of nights with only 2 hrs sleep and got very behind on the washing - thats being a parent isn't it?)

Being stuck in the house is as bad as you want it to be. My dad was stuck in for a very long time after his last major op. He is (hopefully) being put on the transplant list in 18mnths.

The treatment he has been through has been one very long punishment.

I don't see being stuck in for a while with the kids in the same light.

I think I am far luckier than my great grandmother who had way more kids and lived in a time without calpol and washing machines

abbypumpkin · 13/05/2012 14:59

I took my dd to play group (she's two) and a woman sat next to me and started talking to another woman saying she thought her lo had pox as her other child had it and this one was getting symptoms. The really annoying thing is that I am 29 weeks pregnant yet she didn't even consider that I might not have had it (and I actually never had he disease as a child I caught it as an adult - luckily). I was also annoyed as babies go to the same play group and there's a midwife centre in the same building so she will have passed by lots of other pregn ant women and newborn babies.
Can't believe how selfish someone could be!

MrsTerryPratchett · 13/05/2012 16:26

I am feeling awfully guilty here. DD had what I thought was and my nurse practitioner aunt told me was hand, foot and mouth. Her primary HCP has now told me that it was chicken pox and that is why the spots haven't faded, even though she had the vaccination. I don't know how many people I exposed. Now I hear the vaccination is only 80% successful.

SchoolsNightmare · 13/05/2012 16:44

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

BartletForAmerica · 13/05/2012 18:12

The current varicella vaccine offer LIFELONG immunity and doesn't currently need a booster. Of course, evidence might change, but the Americans, in their private medicine system, probably repeat it so often on financial grounds.

MrsTerryPratchett · 14/05/2012 19:53

Actually, I am in Canada, where we don't pay for the vaccinations and I was still advised to get a booster. Not any more because DD got CP after the vaccination anyway. Where did your information come from BartletForAmerica because it is at odds with what I have experienced?

lou2321 · 14/05/2012 20:11

I think it is completely unreasonable if you know your child has chicken pox and you do not keep them away until they have scabbed over. Loads of people I know take them out and don't care. My two DCs had it one after another so we were pretty much stuff indoors for a month but I would rather do that than infect vulnerable people.

It is dangerous if you are pregnant (I believe it can have really serious implications) and it is recommended that very young babies stay away from people who have it.

lou2321 · 14/05/2012 20:13

Why would you take your child out if they had hand foot and mouth? Its really contagious and very unpleasant.