Are they safe?

[TellMeStraight]

From chickenpox?

DCs aged 7 and nearly 5 haven't had chickenpox yet. Despite it being rife through nursery/school/friends several times over the years.

DH had shingles as a young adult before the DCs were born.

As I understand it, DH will continue to host the shingles virus forever. Could the DCs lifelong exposure to DH mean they might be immune to Chickenpox and Shingles?

Or is that a totally dumb-arse assumption???

No, he isn't necessarily shedding the virus so they may not be getting exposed to it and developing immunity through it.

They may have managed to avoid the virus despite it being around them in nursery and school. I managed to somehow avoid it until I was 14 and then was really poorly when I caught it.

If you are worried consider talking to your doctor about the vaccine that is available.

Thanks beautiful. There's no NHS vaccine though. I can't find anyone locally who does it privately.

I do have a weakened inmune system though so maybe worth asking if I can get them done for my sake? I've had Chickenpox bit don't fancy getting shingles which is doing the rounds round here.

Your gp should be able to order it in to be done privately. If you are immuno compromised they should be able to have it on the nhs (look on the NHS website in the 'who should get the vaccine' bit)

NHS GPs can't offer vaccines on private basis to their own patients due to conflicts of interest but nearby unconnected surgeries could.

Ds missed all the childhood episodes of chicken pox at nursery and school. Even had to cancel a trip to Florida the day before when sibling came out in spots and Virgin said if ds came out when we were away they wouldn't fly us back. Nothing.
Another sibling had it terribly a few years later. Still nothing for ds.
I had shingles. Still nothing for ds.
Drs said he must be immune, or the amount of drugs he had had when born/early months (he was very poorly) had affected his susceptibility, or possibly he had had it and we hadn't noticed (!)
Ds gets to 16, GCSEs imminent - chicken pox. And boy, did he have it!

No don't rely on it.
When I was 4yo dsis had chickenpox. Dm thought "great, get it over with" and encouraged us to spend time together.
Various friends had it. I went through various epidemics at school where people even had it for the second time. I decided I was probably immune.

Come aged 20yo and at uni I got it and I don't even know who I caught it from as no one else had it. I had it pretty badly too.

Definitely get them vaccinated - I had DD's first dose done the same day as the MMR, we went to the London Travel Clinic in Oxford Street. It protects against shingles as well as chicken pox.

It was £60 for each shot when we did it (3 year gap between shots) and worth every penny compared with the cost of time off work etc if they get chicken pox.

I got the GP to give me an extra page for DD's red book and the clinic filled it out so that we had all the details.

If you can't get a neighbouring GP to do it, worth trying travel clinics rather than private doctors.