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Children's health

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Holiday with chickenpox

248 replies

monkey117 · 06/06/2012 15:14

Hi, I'm wondering what everyone else would do in my situation as I am finding it so hard to make a decision. My family are due to go on holiday to Menorca next Monday. My 3 year old DD1 came down with chickenpox last Thursday so by Monday she will be on Day 12 since the rash started. We are currently on Day 7 and most of the spots seem to be scabbing over so I am hopeful that by next Monday she will no longer be contagious and safe to fly. I plan to go to the doctors this Friday to ask whether he can give us a 'safe to fly' letter just in case we experience any problems. However, I am assuming that it will be highly likely that DD2 (18 months old) has caught chickenpox from her sister and will currently be at the incubating stage. Therefore it is very likely that she will come out with the rash while we are on holiday, most likely during the first week of our 2 week holiday. I am finding it so difficult to make a decision as to whether we should try to cancel the holiday, however if my DD1 is no longer contagious and DD2 doesnt yet have chickenpox at the time of our flight then we may not get our holiday paid for by insurance if we cancel. But the thought of travelling abroad with my 18 month old highly likely to come out with chickenpox is also not very appealing! Any opinions would be greatly received as I am so stressed right now and dont know what to do for the best! Thank you.

OP posts:
mummytime · 08/06/2012 13:04

I would suggest you talk to your travel insurance people. If you do not they could try to wriggle out of paying if DC2 goes down with CP while you are away. Always inform your travel insurance people, they usually say its okay to travel but make a note (we have informed them over sprained ankles etc.).

SoupDragon · 08/06/2012 13:06

The sibling of the child with chicken pox has been in very close contact with them for the 7 days they have been stuck at home. Thats ignoring the time before the spots came out. The chances of her not having it are slim.

DS2 came down with it shortly after DS1 finished.

I would phone the insurers and see what they say wrt paying out for cancelling the holiday.

As for it being unrealistic to stay indoors for the whole spotty time, don't be ridiculous. It's very easy indeed what with internet shopping. The only time DD went out was to drop the DSs to/from school (she stayed in the car with me as they were old enough to find their own way to it) and to go and play with a friend. Who was off with chicken pox.

youarekidding · 08/06/2012 13:18

I largely agree with everybody that says Chicken Pox is highly contagious and infectious (as are most viruses) and also carry a huge risk to anyone whos pregnant and immuno suppressed and therefore you should stay in when you know you are infected. I also have friends who have had transplants and chemo who have said they accept they are at risk of catching a virus from someone who doesn't even know they're ill and all of these friend travel on planes despite knowing they're the most highly contagous places to be in the world!

BUT: the voices of reason are those who are stating that you do not know that your DD2 is incubating CP.

My DS had it go around his nurseries over the 4 years he was there - he caught it the 3rd year. Neighbours DD caught it from DS (known because they played together the day he would have incubated it and got the spots 14 days after him - plus she wasn't at nursery!) My point is that during the first 3 years I could have avoided all sorts because realistically he could have been incubating it. I lived abroad and wonder if people think that it's realistic for anyone to avoid plane travel until they have actually had CP? Because until you've actually had it you could be incubating it and in small cases even if you've had it you do not develop immunity.

I do agree with quarantine if you know your child has CP or if there's a chance they're incubating it and are showing symptoms such as a cold.

OhDoAdmitMrsDeVere · 08/06/2012 13:19

This thread is full of the usual toss.
I hate these threads with all the entitled selfish posts from selfish entitled idiots

SoupDragon · 08/06/2012 13:21

Personally, I think there is a big difference between possibly incubating it through "wild" random contact and having been in close contact with an infectious sibling for a long period of time.

SoupDragon · 08/06/2012 13:23

IIRC, when DS1 had it, DS2 continued to go to nursery since it was already going through the children like wildfire but that was the extent of his social life until he recovered from having it himself.

monkey117 · 08/06/2012 13:26

I thought I would check back on the thread to see if I had a few more comments, I wasnt expecting this many!!
I took DD1 to the doctor today. He is happy that the spots have scabbed over and that she is safe to fly. I told him that I am worried about the high risk of DD2 getting it and he said its one of those things where you just dont know what is going to happen. He did say that the second sibling often gets it worse as they have been exposed to the virus for a long time. He said just take lots of calpol etc with us so that we are prepared and that there is always the risk of us having to stay longer if she is not safe to fly.
I do take my responsibilities as a parent seriously and even at the doctors today I stood with my daughter outside the waiting room just in case she was still contagious. I havent left the house in over a week because I didnt want to infect anybody with it.
If DD2 shows signs of chicken pox before Monday then I will cancel the holiday. I wouldnt knowingly fly with a child who definitely has chicken pox. However i'm still undecided as to what I will do if she hasnt shown any signs of it by Monday. I'm just gutted that this has happened at this time and if it wasnt for the fact that we stand to lose a lot of money then I would rather stay at home.

OP posts:
youarekidding · 08/06/2012 13:30

Sounds sensible Monkey And if your DD2 develops any signs of a cold etc before Monday your insurance will cover it because she will be unfit to fly. Because she's been exposed to CP I'm pretty sure you'd get a GP note to confirm her unfitness to fly.

Best of luck and enjoy your holiday.

lovechoc · 08/06/2012 13:32

Seems like your GP is talking sense, OP. Glad you've got it sorted out.

"He said just take lots of calpol etc with us so that we are prepared and that there is always the risk of us having to stay longer if she is not safe to fly. "
That is more or less what I've been saying all along!!

Northernlurker · 08/06/2012 14:00

Mrsdv - I assume by 'entitled selfish' you include posts pointing out that it's not reasonable to expect the OP to behave as if her child has infectious CP when there is no way for her to know anything of the sort, against a background where CP is in any case endemic. I appreciate your personal history makes this an issue you have reason to feel very strongly about but the problem here is not in individual's actions. The problem here is that CP is tolerated in our society when a safe and well used vaccine is available.

lovechoc · 08/06/2012 14:07

"This thread is full of the usual toss.
I hate these threads with all the entitled selfish posts from selfish entitled idiots"

Can you not put an opinion on the thread with some value to it, rather than resorting to name-calling and generalising.

OhDoAdmitMrsDeVere · 08/06/2012 14:31

Why should I?
Look at my profile.
Look at the beautiful girl on there.
She is dead. CP contributed to that.
Your posts are the most entitled and selfish of all.

OhDoAdmitMrsDeVere · 08/06/2012 14:33

No Northern. You assume wrongly.
The posts I object to are the ones dismissing CP generally as a dangerous illness.
They always pop up on these threads.
Sensible, measured posts about the disease are acceptable.

Its the 'you cant keep a child in for two weeks you might need to get milk' type post piss me off the most.

5madthings · 08/06/2012 14:41

but what about taking out a child that might be harbouring chickenpox, ie they have no symptoms but they have been exposed to it? when mine got chickenpox (the elder 3 have all had it) they didnt pass it onto each other, so once the chickenpox affected child was not contagious ie spots all WELL scabbed we went out and about but the others could have been carrying the virus, should we have stayed in?

for me my elder 3 have all had chickenpox but they did not give it to each other, they all got it seperataly some months apart, ds4 and dd still ahve not had it despite ds4 being exposed to it when ds3 had it and numerous times since then at pre-school etc ditto dd. should i have stayed in once ds3's chickenpox was scabbed over incase ds4 got it? are there guildlines on this? i took the line that if they didnt seem ill, then i would go out (once the infected child was not infectious) and i warned people that one of mine had had chicknepox and as such the others COULD be contagious, but i didnt keep them in, had i have done we would have stayed in for an extra 20days for no reasons as they didnt catch it from their siblings?

ds4 has been exposed loads this year, it went round the pre-school for 2-3mths as one child after another got it, yet he still hasnt caught it! but theoretically that whole time he 'may' have been infectuous, what are you meant to do in that situation? i chose to go out but warn pregnant people, those will babies under 1 and anyone i thought/knew may be at risk.

i think the op can only take the advice of her dr and if her dd shows no signs of chickenpox then go on holiday but be prepared, if she shows any signs ie a cold, irritable, seeming run down then cancel? but you cant cancel on a 'what if'? or should you?

Northernlurker · 08/06/2012 14:51

Mrs dv - right you are. I did assume wrongly. Fair enough.

lovechoc · 08/06/2012 15:16

5madthings you seem to be on a similar wavelength to myself on this...

lovechoc · 08/06/2012 15:19

Anyway, getting back to the OP... Enjoy your holiday the best that you can and I hope your DD2 isn't too badly affected when she's away. Your GP seems to have given you brilliant advice.

5madthings · 08/06/2012 15:31

i think i agree with northern tbh, as i said a child that may be infectious i would take out but be careful, an infectious one does not leave the house, so order in food, get friends to do school runs etc, its a pita but its only 2 wks, well i have had 6wks of it as 3 of mine have had the chickenpox but i expect the little 2 will get it at some point, and it will be a pita, but we will stay indoors and work around it.

flightty · 08/06/2012 15:55

Thankyou for your constructive answer to my post, Lovechoc. And your yet more constructive total ignoring of mrsDeVere's. I think your posts on this thread say more about you than about the rest of us and how silly we all are.

lovechoc · 08/06/2012 16:25

You're very welcome, flightty.

5madthings I also wouldn't be kept a prisoner in my own home once the virus had settled in the 1st child, I would have to take the others out too. Life has to continue on, as is what I've been saying in most of my posts! I'm quite sure we're not miles apart on that way of thinking.

I think the wording of my posts have been twisted in a way to make it look like I am careless and don't give a toss about others out there...perhaps it is my fault for not getting my points across very well so I'll take the blame for that.

flightty · 08/06/2012 19:12

No I think on the contrary you were very clear.

lovechoc · 08/06/2012 19:13

OP, did your GP advise that you go on holiday as planned regardless of whether your DD2 ends up with CP?

icarriedawatermelon2 · 08/06/2012 19:38

Sounded that way to me lovechoc.

lovechoc · 08/06/2012 19:42

Right, and that's coming from a health professional then. Best sack all those who dish out that advice then, they must be very ill informed Hmm

OhDoAdmitMrsDeVere · 08/06/2012 19:49

My gp told me my dd had a virus.
He was about as wrong as it is possible to be.
So regardless of this particular situation, using 'a hcp said it so it must be true' is not the most intelligent way to win an argument.