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Chickenpox - a question re. informing others

11 replies

Lovecat · 11/07/2007 14:28

Well, after 6 eczema-related false alarms, dd has finally got the pox. She was sent home yesterday from nursery with 4 spots which this morning have transmogrified into a veritable plague everywhere (and I mean everywhere, poor little spud ).

Now, while I'm aware of the 5 days/until all spots have blistered isolation rule, I have a couple of what are probably mad questions and I'd rather ask them into cyberspace than look a bit of a weirdo in real life (well, any more than I normally do!).

If dd was/is infectious, can that be carried via me? I ask because a girl in our work is newly pregnant (14 weeks) and she sits behind me, plus we had a massive chat in the loo yesterday for about 45mins about various birthing options - I would hate to think that I'd unknowingly endangered her or her baby in any way - I have passed on the message to work today, but I can't help worrying about it...

Also, dd goes to Tumbletots on a Friday - now, obviously she won't be going this week, but do I ring up and tell the organisers that she's gone down with CP so that they can warn the other parents to look out for spots, as they'll have been exposed to her last week when (presumably?) she was infectious and I didn't know about it, or is it one of those things where they won't be bothered about it? (I hate to seem like an over-anxious parent of a pfb, and they've never made announcements like that at the group, so I don't know if it's necessary or not). I think I would want to know if it were another child in the group, but am I overreacting??

Also - we're due to go on holiday next Thursday. This will be 10 days since the spots first appeared - can she go into a swimming pool with other children? We rented a cottage specifically for the indoor swimming pool because of the weather, will we get to use it?

Sorry to seem dense, would love your opinions...

OP posts:
binkleandflip · 11/07/2007 14:28

Have you had chickenpox?

butterbeer · 11/07/2007 14:39

If you've had chickenpox already then no, you can't have carried the infection to your colleague. (Even if you haven't and were in the process of developing it yourself, you'd be unlikely to be infectious at this point.)

If she got her first spots on Tuesday then she probably wasn't infectious last Friday, so I wouldn't worry about Tumbletots. It's generally the 2-3 days before spots develop that they are infectious.

You should be OK next Thursday, assuming everything's scabbed over.

lljkk · 11/07/2007 14:39

You can't "carry" the virus to someone else unless you come down with the virus yourself.
Wouldn't hurt to ring Tumbletots, some parents like to be informed.

Lovecat · 11/07/2007 14:44

Thanks for that!

I had CP as a child, so I assume I'm immune, then? Just wondering as my SIL had it twice, once as a child then again when her kids got it at school...

I think I will ring TT - even if I do sound like a fussy mother!

OP posts:
butterbeer · 11/07/2007 14:54

It's not utterly impossible to catch it twice, but it is very unusual.

binkleandflip · 11/07/2007 14:58

butterbeer, I have to disagree. I caught chicken pox from my dd when I was 32 having never had it as a child. The doc explained that is a virus similiar to herpes simplex which once you have it in your system can flair up occasionally and particularly when in contact with an affected person or lay dormant forever - but you can only actually catch it once.

butterbeer · 11/07/2007 15:09

When it flares up it is generally as shingles, though.

There are lots of things that "officially" you can't catch twice, but if you have a mild enough dose the first time, and a big enough gap before a second exposure, then practically speaking you can. Rubella, for example.

binkleandflip · 11/07/2007 15:11

Am only going off what the doc said - which obviously is the official medical view

Anyway, I would recommend every child gets chicken pox as to have it as an adult is painful beyond belief.

binkleandflip · 11/07/2007 15:12

Also shingles only spreads by skin to skin contact whilst chicken pox is airborne

butterbeer · 11/07/2007 15:13

Yes, obviously doctors never ever disagree with one another over anything

nearlythere · 11/07/2007 15:30

pmsl over getting the other tumble tots parents "to look out for spots" if its anything like the dose of it we've had down here there's no mistaking the spots and anyone who doesn't notice them must have their eyes closed!

tbh i wouldn't worry, its something that happens- you can't tell when a child will get them and frankly i also believe in all small children getting them before their teens.

Just relax and spend some time playing join the spots!

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