does anyone know why we don't vaccinate against chicken pox?

[cheapandchic]

is it purely the cost to the nhs?

"Oh ok tethers, so this risk free vaccine only exists in your imaginary world."

Um, yes. Yes it does. Just like the imaginary one you warned me about. Which was essentially my point.

Glad we're clear.

I think this may be my favourite MN argument ever, BTW

I didn't actually warn you about an imaginary vaccine. As I pointed out, I was talking about vaccines in general. The fact that it isn't actually possible to make a risk free vaccine (or even a risk free drug for that matter) means that even if a vaccine was developed in the future, it would not be risk free. I'm pretty sure that you understand the point I'm making but are choosing to be silly about it.

"You just seemed very keen to vaccinate against everything (including typhoid and the common cold) I wouldn't have thought that people would consider risking a vaccination for an illness/disease (because every vaccine carries a risk) unless they were genuinely concerned about their child getting ill and having serious complications."

My DS was vaccinated against CP under the NHS because I have an autoimmune disease, have never developed immunity (multiple cases of CP, it ain't fun) and am now on immuno- suppressants making CP potentially life threatening for me. As far as I know (I looked into it a lot when we had it done) it's not done routinely due to the cost benefit analysis (costs too much) but is available in cases such as my DS where there is a definite risk to the child or immediate family. Which seems to me to be a sensible compromise. We all know the NHS isn't an endless pot of money so to an extent it's going to have to be targeted care. Ideal word we'd all get everything but it's not an ideal world unfortunately.

But what do I know? I've probably got Reality Anxiety or something.

'because every vaccine carries a risk' How is that specifically warning you about the dangers of an imaginary vaccine? We were talking about lots of different diseases (including typhoid for which there is a real vaccine). You're obviously just choosing to be silly. Enjoy your evening :)

Those in the UK, how did you go about getting the CP vaccine? Could you link to a clinic website?

Sorry I got mine through my Health Visitor & GP

Thanks anyway wonky. tethers?

I am not being silly.

I had DS vaccinated against CP privately, at the cost of circa £350. Despite being born prematurely at 29 weeks & requiring home oxygen for 6 months, he did not qualify for NHS vaccination.

I have seen previously-healthy adults die of CP in ICU. Whilst for the majority, it can be mild, there is a whole spectrum of severity & how people react.

I don't believe Australia, USA, Canada & most of Europe have got it wrong.

And yes, for many parents, 2 weeks off work - often without pay - is very difficult to manage - especially if DC have separate outbreaks.

I work for the NHS & have seen how difficult it is to take time off - a really false economy all round - between lost salary & childcare & lost workforce capacity - no one is a winner.

lotsofcheese, "I have seen previously-healthy adults die of CP in ICU"

As I'm sure you know, adults are at greater risk of complications. That is one of the reasons why people prefer to have it in childhood and why people are concerned about the vaccine pushing the disease into adulthood.

Katherina - I asked HV if she could recommend anywhere and she gave me details of a private GP who was well-established and known. Just booked the appt directly, no need for referral etc.

bumbleymummy, you are very lucky to have completely healthy children that do not need to be worried about. I don't know about tethersend, but I find your statement "If someone was so concerned about their child getting sick and wanted to vaccinate against everything and anything then yes, I would think they were overly anxious." very offensive. I am concerned about my child getting sick, because he does get sick. VEry very sick from just the common cold. He went blind for 2 days last year from just the common cold. I do not have "health anxiety" (by the way, is that some new UK psychiatric diagnosis? - I have not heard of it before), I just have a child who has the misfortune of having a bum set of genes that mean that his mitochondria don't work properly and therefore he doesnt have enough energy to fight illnesses off and keep the rest of his body healthy at the same time.

Health anxiety is a form of anxiety neurosis.

I know of already one person whose child has been confirmed to have died as a result of complications through CP and looked after another who was left partially deaf as a result.

DS and I have no immunity to CP, ive had it 5 times and ds twice, so a vaccinne probably be useless to us but given the choice I would opt to have it.

the nhs reccommend it but say it costs too much to just hand out so not sure if this will ever he the case.

Have just looked it up....health anxiety is the new name for hypochondria. Well either way, I find it offensive to be called names for protecting my child. It smacks of the days of Munchausen by Proxy and Dr. Meadow. I think it's time to move on. Hopefully the OP has gotten the information she needed about the cp vaccination.

Sofia, everyone worries about their child being sick to a degree. If your child is prone to complications then I'm sure you would worry even more and rightly so.

Seeming overly anxious about an otherwise healthy child catching a cold and wanting to vaccinate against things like typhoid does seem overly anxious but you are right, I shouldn't use terms like 'health anxiety' flippantly because it can be an awful condition to have.

I am not trying to cause offense and I was not trying to call anyone names - I asked another poster, who has otherwise healthy children, if they suffered from it. In hindsight, I should have included the word 'healthy' in the statement you quoted because it is completely understandable to worry about a child who frequently suffers complications with generally mild illnesses. I am sorry that you took offense at my comments but they weren't actually directed at you or your son. I wouldn't consider someone worrying about a child who gets seriously ill being 'overly anxious'.

bumbleymummy, thank you. I think I am particularly sensitive on this subject because I had been told by many for years that I was imagining my son's illnesses, or on occasion it was implied that I was causing them by mollycoddling him. And then finally just this year (ds is 11) we found out the cause, found the world expert (happened to be right here in LA) and found what may be the treatment (fingers crossed - we are literally only 6 weeks into it).

Katharina - I asked my gp, and she said that they can order it in to do at the surgery, but she agreed that ds should have it done ASAP (it was doing the rounds and ds has underlying health issues), so she did it there and then, with the booster 6 weeks later. If we had had to pay it would have been £120 for the 2 jabs.

"I asked another poster, who has otherwise healthy children, if they suffered from it."

The thing is bumbley, you didn't actually ask me if my children were healthy; you assumed.

You asked me to try and belittle my argument. Somebody in favour if vaccinations- even all vaccinations, both real and imaginary- does not necessarily have a health anxiety, and it is provocative and offensive to try and diagnose such a condition on an Internet forum. However, I don't for one second think that you actually believed I had health anxiety. I think you were attempting to patronise, which is a shame as it really weakened your argument, which was coherent and well thought out until that point. It all sort of unravelled after that.

"Honestly, Chicken Pox is a medieval illness"

LOL

Down here in medieval South of France, all our kids have it. Mine have had 2 years ago. It was spreading like wildfire in their village school behind the barn. For two weeks, they couldn't tend to the horses and clean DH's armour & sword. He was most pissed. Oh how horrible these medieval times are. I wish I were living whenever you think you are living

Really tethers? Personally, I thought the unicorns were the real low point.

"I think it's because for most children chicken pox is a relatively mild, self limiting disease and doesn't have the morbidity and mortality rates that most other diseases do that we vaccinate against."

Like Rubella, you mean?

Oh that horrible disease Rubella, which gives them a 37.5 C "fever" for 1 day, then a rash for the next day. Then it's gone. No mortality, lifelong immunity, and no visible discomfort. Most people don't even know if their children have had it.

Oh these terrible medieval times I live in. I wish someone would come from the modern times and give my baby a rubella vaccine that might wear out by the time she is an adult, when she will need the immunity for her unborn baby