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Children's health

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Original poster

Have we missed the pox?

21 replies

MiaSparrow · 06/03/2015 21:32

DD is four now and it seems one of the last of her little friends to have escaped chicken pox thus far. (Didn't go to nursery, now in pre-school). Obviously I wouldn't wish it on her but I'm also aware that it's apparently worse for older kids to get it. Have we missed the boat?! Are there still outbreaks likely at Reception age and beyond?

OP posts:

Butterfly13 · 06/03/2015 21:41

There is still outbreaks.. A little less often maybe

poorbuthappy · 06/03/2015 21:45

There is always the simple chance that she won't get it until she is older.
My mum took me to all the pox parties in the 70s.
I was around it in my mid 20s through a spate of it in work.

I finally got it at 35 and to be honest would have shot myself if I'd had a gun and not had 3 kids with it at the same time. I thank god that they got it relatively young (twins at 18 months and dd1 at 4.5) so they didn't have to go through it old.

I have never ever been so ill in my entire life.

Original poster

MiaSparrow · 06/03/2015 21:45

Thanks Butterfly. Just re-read my post and it doesn't make any sense. I mean one of the last of her friends to get CP, obvs.

OP posts:

Original poster

MiaSparrow · 06/03/2015 21:48

Blimey, Poor. That sounds awful. I was kind of hoping she'd just pick it up naturally but perhaps I will need to be a bit more pro-active. Do people even do that sort of thing these days?

OP posts:

ThisFenceIsComfy · 06/03/2015 21:50

No, people don't really do chickenpox parties anymore. I had chicken pox at 8. I don't think that catching it later on in primary school is all that unusual.

BubblesInMyBath · 06/03/2015 21:51

Another one who'd like to know if pox parties still exist?

Also slapped cheek? When can I hope for that? (May want to ttc in future but praying DS has become immune to these by then)

poorbuthappy · 06/03/2015 21:53

My point is that you can do all you want to...she will only get it when she's gonna get it.

People may think that parties and deliberate exposure work, I don't think it does.

SoMuchForSubtlety · 06/03/2015 22:04

You could have her vaccinated privately if that's feasible cost-wise. That's what we've done with DD.

sanfairyanne · 06/03/2015 22:10

plenty of it at primary schools. i'd vaccinate by teenage years - lots of time yet though

306235388 · 06/03/2015 22:12

Ds caught it at 4 in p1 and nobody else even had it!!

Dd caught it from him but there are a lot of kids her age (4) now catching it.

BarbarianMum · 06/03/2015 22:20

Quite common to catch it til age 7/8. Wouldn't worry yet, you've years to go.

CliveCussler · 06/03/2015 22:27

I had chicken pox quite mildly at age 12 despite having been exposed to it many times.

PenguinsandtheTantrumofDoom · 06/03/2015 22:33

I wonder about this too. DD1 is 6.

what are the issues with paying for private vaccination if they get to their teens without having it?

Woahbodyforrrrm · 06/03/2015 22:52

I didn't get it as a child despite my brother having it. Then I got it horrendously at 17. I have never been so ill. My mum was worried and took me to the dr, the dr was so shocked by the amount of spots I had, she called the student drs in to look at me. I was too ill to even care.

My ds1 (7) has never had it, his whole table at school caught them a few months ago, but not him.

My ds2 (4) came home from nursery today telling me his best friend has CP. Later on he was ratty, complaining of joint pain and he had about ten red spots on his face. So I thought he had caught CP and brilliant timing as we have two parties tomorrow but as the evening wore on, the spots have gone.

I have this horrid feeling, they're going to be like me and get it older. I'm so scarred even though I didn't itch. I can never show my back off as it's a mass of red scars

sniffle12 · 06/03/2015 22:59

I got the pox at 10 and don't remember it (so it can't have been that bad!)

SoMuchForSubtlety · 06/03/2015 23:37

I never had it as a kid so I got myself vaccinated when I was in my 20s (in Australia so it was covered by Medicare). We've vaccinated DD for chicken pox privately at a travel vaccination clinic. I don't particularly want her to have it if it can be avoided.

LambethWalk · 06/03/2015 23:57

My DS has just had chickenpox at 13. It was fine - ill for about 5 days but not too bad. He had been exposed to CP at least three times when classmates had it at nursery and primary but never got it. I started to think he was immune but he caught it off a younger cousin who got it at his primary school. I would have looked into getting DS vaccinated if he hadn't caught it fairly soon.

It is likely there will be outbreaks at school or among other children so your DS still has time to get it.

LambethWalk · 06/03/2015 23:58

Your DD, sorry.

WorthMoreThanThat · 07/03/2015 06:55

My ds is in reception and currently has chicken pox along with several others

Original poster

MiaSparrow · 07/03/2015 08:36

Thanks for replies, all. I didn't even know private vaccination was an option. Reassuring to know for future ref if she doesn't get it at Primary.

OP posts:

Titsalinabumsquash · 07/03/2015 08:48

dS2 has the pox atm, he's 8! I have a 10 year old with a compromised immune system who has also never had it.

dS2 caught it from DS3 (2) who got it from nursery, goodness knows how the older 2 didn't get it when they were younger, they were exposed 100's of times. DS2 is quite bad, I'm dreading DS1 getting it now, their Dad got it in his late teens and was hospitalised with it.

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