Chicken pox on an aeroplane. Discuss

[nomoney]

I think DS1 has chicken pox. DS2 hasn't had it.

We are going on holiday in 2 weeks. Obviously DS1 will be fine by then but what happens if DS2 comes down with it the day before we go. Will they let us fly?

We are renting a house so once we get there we'll be fine.

If someone makes me cancel my holiday I may have to kill them

Well if you do go on holiday you may well kill someone
Chickenpox is very serious to the immunosuppressed, and on an aeroplane they're pretty much sitting ducks.

They will not let you fly with a child with active chickenpox. Do you have travel insurance?

What counts as active? If it after the spots have come out or after they have crusted?

We don't have insurance yet but I might get some sharpish!

rather than risk harming someone, why dont you take out travel insurance now, as ds2 isnt sick yet and may not even catch it

Chicken pox is infectious before the spots come out and is very dangerous to pregnant women. I dont like to say this but how would you have felt if an infectious child had sat next to you when you were pregnant with you DSs and caused problems? Not trying to guilt trip you but if he looks well and no fever and you decide to go make sure he is kept away from other women in case they are pregnant. So sorry for you. This is an awful dilemma, hope you have travel insurance and DS2 has picked up some immunity along the way. www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Chickenpox/Pages/Introduction.aspx

It is only harmful to preg woman who have not had chicken pox or have noyt developed immunity (the minority)

Also dangerous for other immune suppressed people (those with HIV/cancer/transplants and re on other medicatiom)

plus how long are you going away for? Say you make the flight but DS2 comes down with it while you are out there, but only for a week, you may not be allowed on the flight home!

You will not be allowed on the plane if she has active CP, of course you can't fly

I had this worry a few weeks ago. CP is going around DS1's school and DS2's pre-school and I was convinced that they'd get it just before we were due to fly. I checked with our insurance, they told us we would be covered if we had to cancel. As it happened, they didn't come down with it before we went or while on holiday. We flew back on Wednesday afternoon and DS1 came out in spots yesterday afternoon so we may have unknowingly infected some people on our flight home.

I know of a family who were offloaded in Amsterdam as the cabin crew noticed a rash (the parents had tried to hide the baby) and they had a strict policy to follow regarding infectious dieases, informed the Pilot who landed the plane at the next airport & offloaded the family who were immediately quaranteened even though the parents eventually admitted that the child had Chicken Pox.
This was about 10years ago so the olicy maybe has changed, even so as the others have said a very selfish thing to do as you could be putting someone elses health at risk.

Slightly off-topic, but we were approaching time to fly to the US with DD when she contracted something called HSP, which gives a rash that looks like chicken pox, but isn't. She had already had severe chicken pox as a baby, but whilst we knew that, we were concerned that the airline wouldn't accept our assurances and would ban her from flying.

We had to pay 10 quid for the doctor to write an open letter confirming her condition to anyone who queried it. Wasn't an issue in the end, but anyway, I do sympathise.