Urgent we need your thoughts on chickenpox

[OliviaMumsnet]

We've been asked to appear on News 24 about the Chickenpox vaccine today and we just want to hear your thoughts on this.

What was your experience with chickenpox? Have you had extreme experiences with it?
We'd love to know your thoughts as always (and preferably before 2pm!)
Thanks as ever
MNHQ

Fortunately my DC all had chicken pox, one after the other, with little upset or discomfort. I am concerned at the number of vaccines they are expected to have, and consider a chicken pox vacinne un-necessary, given that it is generally accepted as being a relatively mild illness when compared to those covered by the MMR vaccinne for example.

why boys hunkermunker?

oh sorry... your boys!!!!! I thought you meant boys in general! that'll teach me to read properly!

how about instead that anyone who reaches the age of, say, 16 without having caught it gets the vaccine?

my SIL's partner caught it from their kids when he was 40 and he spent weeks in hospital.

Are they going to repeatedly vaccinate (i.e. to provide booster) to ensure that adults don't contract it? Otherwise it's going to potenially wear off leaving adults at risk of contracting the disease. This has happened here, particularly with mumps, already. You run the risk of turning a (usually) mild childhood disease into a more-likely-to-be-dangerous adult disease. Bonkers.
What are the risks of chickenpox versus the risk of side effects from the vaccination? Esepcially given the mass under-recording of side effects from vaccinations.
What's the risk of chickenpox itself mutating. Already happened with whooping cough and possibly measles.

I would never give chickenpox vaccination.

(because hunker has boys, shrinkingsagpuss...)

ROFL, yes, only boys should have the chicken pox vaccine.

Her boys I think she means...

My dd got chicken pox at 8 weeks old, she had it quite severe and couldn't feed properly. Even though my dd got it so young and got it so bad, she wasn't very very ill with it, i personally feel chicken pox is not bad enough to introduce yet another vaccine.

In favour of a vaccine

One of dd's friends was seriously ill with it when it went round when they were around 8mo. I understand it can be dangerous in the under ones - it isn't the benign disease that many people think it is.

Fortunately dd had a very mild case. Her friend was hospitalised and very nearly died.

I stand by my comments on the other thread
"I'm not in favour of the vaccine as routine either, certainly not from what I know at the moment (and I'm very pro-vaccination as a rule). A bit of googling and a brief foray into the science journals seems to indicate that it's an economic argument, enriching the drug companies with a side order of keeping parents in the workplace not at home with sick kids. Agree that it's not generally a serious illness in young children, and there doensn't seem to be a chance of wiping out the wild virus, so a vaccination would surely just push the burden of infection onto the more vulnerable adult population. There is (or should be) a big differnece between licencing the vaccine for use (which is what has just happened in the UK) and deciding to make it part of the immunisation schedule."

Hmm, maybe I'd vaccinate adults who hadn't had it as children, on reflection. If that worked. I don't know enough about it. Don't pay any attention to my views - they're half-formed and changeable and I'm better off sticking to writing about breastfeeding...

lol many crossed posts.

I have met quite a few people who think that their boys shouldn't have rubella because it doesn't cause complications for them

My two have both had it an early age with no ill affects or scarring etc.

Would like #3 to catch it 'naturally' before he goes to school.

Not anti vaccines in any shape or form as all my children have been immunised, but would not put my LO through an additional vaccine for chicken pox.

I have had chicken pox twice (quite unsual ... like myself )once as a child then as an 18 year old. Again, no problems.

Should we not spend the NHSs' money on other things such as a vaccine for ALL against bird flu if it ever flies in ?

fluffy, I think lots of people don't see it as a 'dangerous' illness and some people will be anti having another jab and other reasons people have mentioned on here. I think they'd have a hard time 'selling' it to parents.

(as I said below, I would have taken it up had it been offered when mine were little).

see, that's what concerns me. is that there doesn't seem to be enough attention paid to boostering.

for example, they introduced the MMR here for children, but did not bother with top up boosters for young adults until relatively recently.

so even now, you have serious outbreaks of diseases like mumps among young adults - with resultant complications.

I'm just hoping that DS3 gets it when young, and that he isn't left with as much hyperpigmentation as the other 2.

But I don't think it should be in with the MMR.

Message withdrawn

exacly expat. Especially as mumps is a very mild childhood disease. In 1/3 cases you don't even know you're infected. So lets just make it more likely for adults to get it shall we? Insane.

Could see the same happening with chickenpox, which is usually mild.

I think they should have the vaccine they use it in other countries australia etc and it can be very serious it is another of those unless you know someone who has had it very badly situations you think it is mild
Also we would get herd immunity and that would protect all the vulnerable children who are ill with cancer etc from getting it

expat, mumps outbreaks at least in part due to changes in the vaccination schedule rather than a not bothering to give boosters. Looked like an administrative muddle to me when I tried to figure it out. My (limited) reading suggests the CP vacc does not need boosters.

I would prefer it in teens who haven't had it too.

Some sort of set up like with tb and the heaf (?sp) test

My boys both had it. DS1 was fine, bit ill but nothing bad, but DS2 had a REALLY bad time. His spots had spots !

Several of his spots got infected and he has about half a dozen really bad scars, including one that, believe it or not, covers about one third of his back... a huge circle, with rings in - kind of like a cut-through of a tree, iyswim.

He went through hell.

all of mine had it within a 4 week period. ds2 was the worst. he was 2 when he got it and it was awful. his face and eyes all swelled up, he couldn't walk, couldn't move. got them all in his eyes, mouth, throat and ears. i remember just standing him in the bath and pouring calamine lotion all over him straight out the bottle he was that bad! dd2 was 7 weeks old at the time and thankfully only got it mildly, but i was very scared as she was so young.

i got it when i was 14 and i am scarred everywhere from it.

i agree with the 'oh no not another vaccine' thing, but i think these days its becoming more and more necessary to vaccinate against things!!

Gawd they're not thinking of putting it in with the MMR are they? They should re-read Wakefield's work on CROHNS (not autism) and wild type measles.