Chicken pox etiquette

[weeboagie]

Help - received call from friend last night to say her ds came out with the pox yesterday and we were swimming with them on Friday. I have a few dilemmas...

1. I'm 15 weeks pregnant - don't think there is much risk as I had CP as a child but think I should phone my midwife to check?

2. Do I keep DD away from society for the next couple of weeks in case she develops it ( I think they are most contagious just before and after spots appear)? We have a big family party next weekend to celebrate my sister's engagement (she is flying up from London) and there will be kids there - I really don't want to miss it but would feel awful if DD was infectious.

3. MIL is due to look after DD tomorrow. She also looks after my niece on Wed/Thu. My niece has has not had CP - could my MIL pass the infection to her even though she has had it herself previously?

Any help appreciated.

keep her away from high risk groups, but dont hole yourself in for the next 2weeks.

with regards to the party, then phone the happy couple and ask them what they'd like you to do. your friends son was at his most contagious the day you saw him, so its very likely your dd will get it if she had close contact with him.

1. phone midwife to check - agree there's hardly any risk, but there is a blood test you can have to check your immunity, but you need to act fast (if you're not immune you can be given VZIG but this needs to be given within 72hrs (I think) of exposure).

2. important people to stay away from is pregnant people and immunocompromised people. General etiquette otherwise is to warn that there's a possibility but if they're otherwise happy then go.

3. no she couldn't pass it on if she's already had it. Also, your DD would not be infectious tomorrow. It takes (approx.) 10-14 days for the spots to come out. You can be infectious up to 3 days before the spots come out but most infectious the day before.

Hope this helps, and hope your dd is fine

1. as long as you have had it you and babay shodul be fine but mw can reassure you 2)with ds I kept him apart from days 10-20 after exposure to cousin as it was summer holiday season and felt it unfair to risk passing it on to friends kids, ironically he didn't catch it then ! Personally I'd steer clear of more vulnerable groups - young children , pg women where possible, or at least warn them . As for the party , tell the host and anyone you know may be vulnerable but she is unlikely to be conatgious at that point anyway - the above situation with cousin arose at such a party but she had cp spots appearing and had for a day or two before hand and still went with no warning to us
2. can only be caught from a contagious person , not secondhand iyswim.

You can come round here and give it to my dd2 if you like, she keeps not getting it!

Ditto harrisey - DD2 is shockingly immune - Damn it!!

As for you mil passing it on, if she is immune she will not 'carry' the virus to your neice.