Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

General health

Mumsnet doesn't verify the qualifications of users. If you have medical concerns, please consult a healthcare professional.

Flip

Original poster

Chicken pox and flying - are there any rules???

22 replies

Nixz · 21/04/2008 08:40

My SIL and brother are supposes to be flying from Barcelona on Wednesday for a visit. One of the children has chicken pox, although they are all scabbed over now, they are worried incase their DD gets them whilst she is in the uk and the airline wont let her fly.
How do airlines stand on chicken pox these days? Is it still such a big issue?
Any advice would be great!

OP posts:

ladytophamhatt · 21/04/2008 08:42

AFAIK, they won't let you fly.

Scabby or not....

Buda · 21/04/2008 08:42

Won't let you fly - too risky to pregnant women.

noddyholder · 21/04/2008 08:43

can't fly

stuffitllama · 21/04/2008 08:44

If the children are scabbed over and not infectious, if they are SURE

hide the scabs

if they are infectious it wouldn't be fair of them to fly and I don't think they would be allowed either

belgo · 21/04/2008 08:56

if she's past the infectious stage, I would get a doctor's letter to confirm this.

CantSleepWontSleep · 21/04/2008 09:02

They should get a doctor's note to confirm that the infected child is no longer infectious before coming over, but they are right that if their dd develops it whilst over here then she will not be able to return home (quite rightly). They ought to check whether their travel insurance would cover them if this happened, and they had to change their return date, and then weigh up the risk and make their own decision.

yurt1 · 21/04/2008 09:08

Can't fly without a doctor's note if you're still scabby. (Had an A level student stuck in the State's with chickenpox - missed her first exam).

CantSleepWontSleep · 21/04/2008 09:11

Not strictly true yurt - dh flew in Jan whilst still obviously scabby, and although he did have a doctor's note iirc, he wasn't asked to show it.

pointydog · 21/04/2008 09:13

my cousin had to stay in the States with his family for an extra week at easter due to one of his ds getting chicken pox.

Not sure about state of the scabs though.

noddyholder · 21/04/2008 09:19

Don't hide the scabs!If there is anyone pregnant or immunocompromised on the flight it is v dangerous

belgo · 21/04/2008 09:21

but it's not dangerous if the child is no longer infectious.

Buda · 21/04/2008 10:09

But belgo there is a chance that one of the DCs who hasn't yet developed it will develop it while in UK. Presumably therefore that child would be infectious for a few days beforehand too.

Original poster

Nixz · 21/04/2008 10:48

Yes, the infectious period is quite long in Chicken pox - I actually forgot the risk to pregnant women!!
My dd flew with them a while back, she was all scabbed over, the dr had given the all clear and given a letter. We were not asked by the airline for it though, they didnt even notice!

OP posts:

slim22 · 21/04/2008 11:03

Quite dangerous for older people too!

Dr note will not make them any more wiser regarding the second child's potential infection......

stuffitllama · 21/04/2008 13:39

Any child could be harbouring any infection at any time. The most anyone can do is, if the second child is at risk, keep taking temperature to check for infection. There is no point in putting off a trip just because the second child may have caught it, but is symptom free, as that is true of many children at any time.

belgo · 21/04/2008 13:41

Buda - but is it necessary to keep a child in quarentine because they may have it? My pead told me not. I have a friend who kept her young children at home for three weeks because they had been exposed to chicken pox. They never developed it.

cory · 21/04/2008 13:47

I did stay in Sweden for an extra week when dd developed chicken pox- insurance company refunded airfare (and kept ringing us to see we were ok, bless them).

But I wouldn't stay for somebody who has not yet developed symptoms.

How on earth would you know this will be the time they catch it, and not on your next trip when they've caught it off someone at school?

Dd was in close proximity to children with chickenpox at least half a dozen times during her early years without catching it, then caught it unexpectedly at age 11.

Elk · 21/04/2008 13:51

Hi,
I have just flown back from Tenerife(yesterday) with a scabby dd1. She developed chicken pox on the second day of the (7 day)holiday. They were originally not going to let us fly as we didn't have a doctors note but then they arranged for the airport doctor to look at her- doc said she wasn't infectious and as dd2 has already had chicken pox they let us fly.

Ultimately it is up to the captain to decide who goes on his plane.

If one child is ill the airline rep informed us that insurance only covers one adult per ill child to stay the rest have to keep to the original arrangements.

Chicken pox is also dangerous to people on sterioids.

Buda · 21/04/2008 15:42

I know belgo - we had 'issues' here a few years ago with whether siblings of infected children who had not yet presented with symptoms should be kept off school! Not me I hasten to add but there were some mothers who wanted it.

DS hasn't had it yet and I am resigned to the fact that knowing my luck it will probably present just before a much planned trip somewhere!

belgo · 21/04/2008 16:09

yes it would be very annoying to have to cancel a trip because of chicken pox.

cazcaz · 21/04/2008 16:32

I thought we would be cancelling our holiday last year due to chicken pox.

DS2 came down with it two weeks before we were due to fly, and because he has a suppressed immune system he was really quite poorly with it. DS1 (we thought) had never had it so we awaited the inevitable, with me checking him like a lunatic for spots every five minutes!

He never came down with it at all, and our GP thinks he may have had as a baby with one or no spots.

We did have to fly with a doctors note to say DS2 was no longer contagious, and had a great time, and no one wanted to sit too near to us at the beach!

I would not cancel a trip on the pretext that they may come down with something, but I would also not disguise chicken pox, it was potentially very dangerous for my DS.

Original poster

Nixz · 22/04/2008 20:07

Just to let you know - my brother went to the Drs today and my nephew still has some blisters which are contagious. The Dr said that it was the worst case of chicken pox she had ever seen in a baby
So, they cant travel, never mind!
Just hope my nephew recovers well!

OP posts:

Flip

Swipe left for the next trending thread