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Infant feeding

Get advice and support with infant feeding from other users here.

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Original poster

Does anyone know if you can fly with chickenpox?

24 replies

milkmummy1 · 05/08/2007 21:00

My DS may or may not have chicken pox. am flying with ryanair in 9 days time. does anyone know they will let you fly with a chicken pox baby?

OP posts:

FrannyandZooey · 05/08/2007 21:02

Chicken pox is only considered contagious for 5 days after spots appear, so you should be fine either way

I would get a doctor's letter if he is still spotty though!

MerlinsBeard · 05/08/2007 21:02

chances are NO.

its a contagious disease and air is recirculated.

MerlinsBeard · 05/08/2007 21:03

the last bit of my post disappeared!

was about to say..that he should have cleared up. they are contagious from before the spots appear to when they are ALL scabbed over. For ds1 that took 4 days. it took a lot longer for ds2 though

flashfinn · 05/08/2007 21:04

So does he have spots but you're not sure if they are chicken pox?

paros · 05/08/2007 21:04

You cannot fly no matter how much you want to if they have the spots . There maybe othere people on the plane who are undergoing chemo and to catch chicken pox could seriously put them in severe danger . If you had a doctors note that would be a good thing . I hope your child hasnt got it and you can go and have a great holiday .

flashfinn · 05/08/2007 21:05

I would agree that unlikely to fly and would be might angry to find someone on board with chickenpox myself - puts others at risk esp pg mums.

PuppyDogsTails · 05/08/2007 21:06

Cant help being facetious.

In answer to the thread title
Could you fly before you got chickenpox?

redtoenails · 05/08/2007 21:07

I would hope not - I would be very peed off to catch chicken pox on my holiday due to another passenger who knew they had it!

Original poster

milkmummy1 · 05/08/2007 21:08

he was exposed to a baby 9 days ago whose brother has chicken pox. the baby hasnt shown any signs yet, has been v content, though had rash around eyebrows today which he has had before. DS has not yet shown any signs. am exclusively BF so hope that gives him some protection. will be gutted if we cant go as we are going to visit my mother in law in france. will have to see how it goes. doesnt sound good as if he is still yet to show the signs then he is far from over it.

OP posts:

flashfinn · 05/08/2007 21:08

Precisely - lots of people don't know they have chickenpox until it comes out - but it is good not to put others at risk if they def have iyswim!

gemmiegoatlegs · 05/08/2007 21:08

my ds currently has "chickenspots" and we have been told 7 days after spots appear, they are no longer contagious. Does he have spots or has he been in contact ith a poxy person?

flashfinn · 05/08/2007 21:10

He may not get it at all - my ds1 got it 3 weeks after being exposed, ds2 has been exposed loads of times but hasn't had it yet and he is 4 and who knows with ds3! They can get it when little and bf btw - my friends little boy got it at 6 weeks and he was bf.

MerlinsBeard · 05/08/2007 21:11

ds1 took 14 days exactly to get the spots and ds2 took 15

LaylaandSethsmum · 05/08/2007 21:11

The incubation time is between 2 and 3 weeks so if after this time theres still no spots its unlikely he will come out with it.
If hes no spots then travel, how can you know? If he has new or blistered spots then he shouldn't fly until they are all dry.

MerlinsBeard · 05/08/2007 21:12

BF doesn't provide immunity from cntagious illnesses!!

from what you have said the risk is minimal. he has been exposed to a baby who's brother has CP, baby may not even have contracted it.

ImBarryScott · 05/08/2007 21:12

There is no fixed time limit when you are no longer contagious. You are no longer contagious when all (every last one [wink!]) of the spots has formed a scab, and you have no way of knowing when this might be.

I caught chickenpox a couple of years ago from some git on a train. I was but not as as the elderly lad patient of mine whom I gave it to before the spots appeared.Please think of others and stay at home if you are in any doubt .

lemonaid · 05/08/2007 21:15

Your DS should be fine.

While you can incubate chicken pox for up to three weeks without getting spots, you are mostly infectious from 2-3 days before the spots appear until they have all scabbed over.

So if he was in contact with this baby 9 days ago, and the baby still hasn't developed any spots, then even if the baby does go down with chicken pox he won't have been infectious at the time your DS was around him.

mistery · 06/08/2007 10:33

I caught chickenpox and had to spend the week off work, which cost me a LOT of money (I'm self-employed). It was also extremely painful and can leave permanent scarring, and kills dozens of people in Britain every year. It is much worse for adults.

You do not want to KILL or otherwise inflict this horrible disease on anybody, you will have to cancel your holiday if your child gets chickenpox.

That said, he's only infectious if he has the spots, or the fever that comes 1-2 days before the spots.

magnolia1 · 06/08/2007 10:40

No you can't fly with chickenpox unless they are all well and truly scabbed over and the airline will probably want a doctors letter to verify this. But it's sounds like he probably won't get them anyway so relax for a bit and keep an eye out for spots.

My ds1 has been in contact with lots of children with chicken pox last months (lots had it at dd4's nursery) he didn't get it and neither did dd4 (age 4) and she was with lots of kids before their spots came out.

paros · 06/08/2007 20:07

could you not fly there ?

LilianGish · 08/08/2007 18:28

Interested to read this thread. A friend of mine had a similar dilemma a few weeks ago. Her 10-month-old son had been exposed to chicken pox, but didn't have it and they were due to fly to Spain. They didn't go (because they thought if it came out while he was there they wouldn't be able to fly back) but they lost the cost of the flights and the villa - I think they couldn't claim on insurance because he wasn't actually ill and in the end he didn't even get chicken pox. I thought she was bonkers - he wasn't ill after all and on that basis you could just as well say what if he caught it while she was on holiday (which must happen sometimes).

amidaiwish · 08/08/2007 18:35

you'll need a doctor's letter if they're spotty. if the last spot has come out more than 5 (?) days ago then he'll be fine.

amidaiwish · 08/08/2007 18:39

i'm going to be jumped on here but you really can't stay at home / not fly "just incase" your ds "might" get chicken pox. if there's no signs of any spots or illness then GO!

DD1 was exposed to 6 rounds at nursery before she finally got it.

you will only get a refund of the holiday cost from your travel insurance if you actually have to cancel, with a doctors note, if he is diagnosed with CP and is still contagious.

handlemecarefully · 08/08/2007 18:41

Misinformation - it is not when all spots scab over, it is 5 days post the appearance of the first spot (that's the new most up to date advice on the basis that there have been no proven cases of chicken pox transmission when a subject has been exposed to a chicken pox sufferer at the post 5 day stage)

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