MORE HELP ON CPOX FRONT PLEASE - Are NHS Direct talking out of backside? my dd has chickenpox, my immune brother was in contact with her and NHS Direct has told my other sister that if he visits her he could pass on the virus to dsis's breastfed 4-we...

[ExterminAitch]

(actually it's two sisters but i thought brother made it less confusing in the title. let's go with the truth from here and forget i mentioned a brother).

my sister (elder of the two) is going to visit my new niece and younger sis etc in her home, but told other sis about contact with poxy dd.

so my youngest sister phoned NHS line to ask if her niece being in contact with my other sis could be a problem. both sisters of mine are immune, have been for yonks. youngest sis is bfing her wee girl.

nhs said.

1 if dd is still infectious (she isn't imo, it's 5 days after first spots and is all scabby) then oldersis, despite being immune herself, could carry the virus on her body. apparently, it takes only 15 mins contact to pass the virus across.

(no answer from nhs on how long virus survives on a resistant host. it would be a gap of about 4 days before she'd visit new niece, surely it can't live that long?

also no idea how 15 mins comes into play, from what i've read it's spread by snot, saliva and burst pox. what does 15 mins have to do with anything? a full-on toddler snog from an infectious child could take seconds but presumably pass it on?)

1. youngest sis is bfing. she was told, however, that this makes no difference because it takes 5 weeks to be immune to cpox if bfing. that, surely, is crap? it's certainly contrary to what i was told when dd was 10 days old and exposed to infectious child, which was only 2.5 years ago.

anyway, can anyone help? poor older sister is about to cancel her plans to go and stay with younger sister for a few days, has taken days off work specially.

personally, i don't think that dd is still infectious but i can see that it's not something we can be completely unequivocal about so i do understand why she checked. but this thing about cpox hanging around on clothes... must be bollocks.

yep, kerry, i would mention it to her tbh. i know of a woman locally who was completely, disastrously colonised by cp during labour and her baby was rushed to the infant hospital across town to get treatment. poor, poor woman was caught in the small gap between immunities, either hers or the baby's. everyone fine, but it was scary...

(this is the other thing, StG, about dsis's babe, i feel that NHSdirect have said there's a risk, without quantifying the risk in the slightest. it's the school holidays, seems to me dn is at risk of picking it up off kids in a swingpark every time she gets out the house.)

Like I said Aitch - covering their arses

Try not to worry Kerrymum. You have been very considerate to that mum-to-be, I know many people who would not even have thought to mention that their child was ill in similar circumstances.

my 3yo had cp when ds2 was less than 2 weeks old. The doctor said that all newborn babies - up to 12 weeks - are immune regardless of whether they are bf as they are born with their mother's immunity.

I was also told that you actually have to have cp in order to pass it on - simply being in contact with someone who has had it isn't enough.

I was told all of this in April this year.

actually the dr did say that there was a tiny chance (about 1% iirc) that my ds2 could have got cp from my dd.

Your doctor is wrong pollyanna, sorry.

Agree that your doctor is wrong. Like I said earlier, ds1 was born with it. I'd displayed no signs of having cp before he was born and hadn't knowingly been in contact with anyone who'd had it (and had had it myself as a child so would have assumed I was immune).

oh on second thoughts he is quite crap I think - he also told me to give ds2 solids at 10 weeks old.

Bfed babies can get cpox, ds did. Thankfully it was very mild, but he did have it at 3 months. It may be rare, but I does happen. I am immune to it.

Ds deffo had it as he had shingles at 4!

When DD1 was 8 weeks old, I got cp really badly. The doctor I saw said that DD would not get it because I was breastfeeding. I remember feeling at the time that it didn't sound quite right but feeling too ill to argue. Sure enough she got cp at ten week, and was really ill, had to be rehydrated. DS got cp at 5 months, whilst being breastfed. He was really ill too, and ended up with bronchiolitis as a complication. He caught it from DD2 who was 3 at the time. Immunity, IME, does not happen!

okay, but to drag this back to the OP (that's MEEEEEEE! ), would you all have exposed your child to a presumed immune person three days after they'd been exposed to a presumed non-infectious child or is that overkill?

Yes

I think

hmmm
getting a little twitchy having read the thread, and espeically muffinmclay's post

ds1 and s2 have just had chicken pox
my bloods showeed i am immune
currently 32 weeks pregnant
is there a risk to ds3?

Probably. But maybe not if it was a PFB.

i think not, pops. incubation period is 10-23 days, so you'd have it and have it over by the time the baby was even thinking about being due. damage-wise, it's a worry under 20 and beyond 37 weeks.

Cross-post - if you are immune, everything should be fine.

it is a pfb, edam. that's what i said to sis. if it was my second, no problem, but a pfb...

i had it aged 10
and blood is immune

i dont need another thing o worry ab0out
enough with slapped cheek infection around 26 weeks and silly high bp

i don't think you should worry, popsy. worst case scenario you get it because SOMEHOW you aren't immune, then the baby will still be fine. but you are immune anyway if the bloods say so.

Just re-read your OP - the rational side of me thinks NHS are just covering their backsides and your sis would be absolutely fine to visit.

Emotionally however - on the off-chance new dn picks up chicken-pox from someone else in the meantime or immediately after (because these things go in waves, don't they?) it might be best to stay away, just so there is no chance at all that she could be thought responsible for a possible infection.

It took me five years to completely forgive MIL when she visited in hosp. and held hours old baby-fresh DD for first time wearing stinking OBSESSION perfume - might have been a lot longer if she'd have 'knowingly' passed on something potentially very dangerous.

i have a season ticket for the pregancy assessment unit and a consultant appt in 2 weeks dso will ask next time i am there ##