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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsChickenpox Nostalgia Is Real—And Really Dangerous
http://www.slate.com/articles/double_x/the_kids/2013/11/chickenpox_vaccine_is_it_really_necessary.html"A few weeks ago, I stumbled across the Facebook group Chicken Pox PartiesNew York Metro Area. It has 143 members, all of whom, Im guessing, are parents who have chosen not to vaccinate their kids against chickenpox and instead hope to build their kids immunity the old-fashioned way, by directly exposing them to the germs of a pox-infected child. They are not alone: Facebook has 14 other chickenpox party groups organized by geographical region, and if you cant get to one in person, you can always ask to be sent a lollipop with an infected childs spit on it.
Perhaps these parents go this route because theyre distrustful of the vaccine or they think that inoculating against chickenpox is dumb. For those of us who endured chickenpox as kids and emerged relatively unscathed, the varicella vaccine, as its called, does at first seem kind of dumbanother unnecessary medical intervention being thrust upon us and another box to check off on the never-ending paperwork that is raising a child. So should we say no to our pediatricians and bring a pox on all our houses instead?
After evaluating the medical evidence, my answer is an emphatic no. The shot is by far the better way to go. Thats because although we might recall chickenpox as a small but annoying blip on our childhood radar it can be dangerous. True, before the vaccine was licensed in 1995, only about 100 to 150 American kids died of chickenpox every year, and most of these children had underlying immune system issues. But every year, chickenpox landed about 11,000 kids in the hospital. Its not that they couldnt handle all the itching; one study from Europe (where many countries do not vaccinate against chickenpox) has found that one-fifth of all otherwise healthy kids who are hospitalized for chickenpox suffer neurological problems such as strokes, meningitis, convulsions, and encephalitis. Chickenpox can also cause septic shock, pneumonia, necrotizing fasciitis (thats flesh-eating bacteria), and other bacterial infections.
...
I know that its tempting to think, Thats silly; I didnt have the vaccine, so my kid shouldnt need it either. But you might as well be saying that your kid has no right to a healthier, safer world than the one you grew up inand that sounds far sillier."
It's a nutty, nutty world. Ugh.
DiverDave
(4,886 posts)and standing at the window watching the other kids play.
I couldn't go out as I was quarantined.
Crazy people should be jailed and their kids taken to someone sane.
Scootaloo
(25,699 posts)My mom went into labor the same day my teacher noticed a bump on my lip and sent me home.
Warpy
(111,255 posts)Once you broke out and the blisters started to dry, the itching was intense. That's when your mother would put you to bed at night with mittens on so you wouldn't scratch in your sleep and turn the scabs into scars, something that happened to us if we scratched.
Adults who catch it scar from it, period. I've known a few people who caught it from their kids because they'd never had it when they were kids and it was nasty.
Skidmore
(37,364 posts)with the chickenpox. Two of my brothers and my sister had it at the same time. We were all miserable. We had measles too. Children should be vaccinated.
Arugula Latte
(50,566 posts)We also have shingles to perhaps look forward to, later in life.
Skidmore
(37,364 posts)My husband had shingles last year and it was extremely uncomfortable for him. He did not recall having chicken pox as a child. I told him I could not imagine how he could forget such an event. Must have had a pretty mild case.
pnwmom
(108,977 posts)worst cases, and that was true among my children. My third was just a toddler, and he only had a few lesions, so he got the vaccine when it came around.
laundry_queen
(8,646 posts)My oldest had 1 pox above and beyond the amount you need for immunity (I can't remember the amount...25? 50?) so barely any, and most were on her back. Only one on her face. My middle child had hundreds and my youngest (at the time) had so many I stopped counting. She had 100 on her face, easily. And she was still breastfeeding at the time!
Oddly enough, even though she, by far, had the mildest case my oldest was the one who constantly complained about the itching, while my other 2 acted like they weren't even sick. They hardly scratched at all and played together all day like nothing was wrong.
All 3 did scar though, which is strange since I had a really bad case at age 3 and didn't scar at all. You can't notice it though unless they get a bit of a tan, then you can see faint white spots on their back.
My 4th child was born after the vaccine became available and she did get the vaccine. Honestly, though, I was lucky - I didn't find chicken pox that bad at all, except for the scarring (but I'm not one of those people who is like "zomg! You have a MARK on your face, hideous!" like my mother is - you should've heard her after my daughter needed stitches on her forehead...she wanted to call in a plastic surgeon) I also remember when I had chicken pox, and I do remember scratching, but it was during the summer and I was at my grandparent's farm so my mom wasn't sure I was scratching from the pox or the sandfly bites, LOL. She also said I didn't act sick at all.
Another weird thing that may have contributed to my oldest having a mild case - she was exposed numerous times and didn't catch it. I mean sharing sippy cups with her toddler friend exposed...then I babysat 2 kids who had active cases during the most virulent time (right before and during the rash)...then she had a kid sneeze on her who came down sick the next day...my daughter never caught it. I wonder if she had a small subclinical infection that gave her some immunity which made her full blown case more mild later on. I dunno.
pnwmom
(108,977 posts)so when they finally get it they get the worst cases. I was hoping the vaccine would be available before my kids got infected -- no such luck. But when my oldest finally got it, she got hundreds just on her face -- and equal amounts on her back, chest, and arms. And some got infected. She was just miserable. Her younger brother had a lot fewer, and the youngest hardly any.
My nephew had some in his eyes, and that was horrible, too.
I would never expose a kid to this "mild" disease on purpose.
laundry_queen
(8,646 posts)before the vaccine, exposing your young child made sense because they were less likely to have complications if they got it when they were very young. So, the options were: expose my toddler NOW and they will likely get a mild case, or don't expose and wait, and then when they are teens and catch it then, they will have a really horrible case. Or worse, what happened to my friend...never catch it at all until you are an adult and pregnant (let's just say she was extremely ill and had to be monitored very closely and everyone was very, very freaked out). Back in the day, those were the options, so I can see why people exposed their kids. I did it with my oldest (the kids I babysat, I knew they were sick...daycare wouldn't take them so I did thinking, "why not?" I wanted her to get it young and not deal with what my pregnant friend had to deal with.
Thankfully now, you can avoid all that.
nomorenomore08
(13,324 posts)But obviously I'm a sample of one...
HuckleB
(35,773 posts)Family history is good to write down.
stevenleser
(32,886 posts)My fever reached 104 if I am not mistaken.
HuckleB
(35,773 posts)I'm glad you made it through all that!
Warren DeMontague
(80,708 posts)I mean, it's up in the hairline, you'd never see it if you didn't go looking. I suppose if I go bald one day I've have a little crater up there, though.
pipi_k
(21,020 posts)I do remember being virtually coated with calamine lotion, which worked until it dried.
Then we were covered with itchy scabs again, and dried up flaky calamine lotion.
IMO, any parent who would knowingly expose his/her kid to that is guilty of abuse.
Not to mention, as someone else said, the risk for shingles later in life.
One of my cousins, in her 40s, had a nasty case of them last year. I guess they are pretty common on the side of the family we both come from.
MineralMan
(146,288 posts)from the chickenpox. She recovered OK, but what a bad deal. I lived pre vaccine, and we all caught it. I remember my mom making mittens for us kids from fake rabbit fur, so we wouldn't scratch ourselves raw. No fun at all.
broiles
(1,367 posts)balance which caused all sorts of other problems (falls). I can't get the shingles vaccine because it's a live virus, but I take Valtrex daily to keep it from coming back.
Pretzel_Warrior
(8,361 posts)J/K.
My post title is in light of recent events.
But I agree. People are weird.
HuckleB
(35,773 posts)Didn't even know there was a vaccine...
KitSileya
(4,035 posts)It made sense to have these 'parties' before the vaccine, but these days? Especially considering that adults who weren't vaccinated, but had a mild case can get it again? A colleague of mine got chickenpox for a second time when she was in her late 50s. That was no party, according to her.
Curmudgeoness
(18,219 posts)my cousins were brought to the house so that they would "get it over with". It wasn't really a "party", which sounds insane to me now that there is a vaccine, but it really was the way people dealt with it in the 1950's.
I didn't know that anyone could get them again though.
laundry_queen
(8,646 posts)was that people knew the older you were when you caught it, the more likely it would be more severe. It made sense to get little kids together so they would get chicken pox when they were more likely to have a mild case with fewer complications.
I kind of did that with my oldest daughter - she was around 18 months old and a friend called me needing a babysitter because one of her 2 kids came down with chicken pox and the daycare wouldn't take either of them until the rash cleared up (for those who don't know, that can take weeks). So I took her kids in, thinking it would be a good opportunity to get my daughter exposed. Even though it was at a very virulent time (the little boy broke out during the 3 weeks I had them) and they were sticking the same toys in their mouths, sharing sippy cups and everything, my daughter never got sick. So much for that, LOL. She was exposed 2 other times, directly, and never got sick. Then she caught them from god knows where at age 8 and had a super mild case. She's a weird one.
Curmudgeoness
(18,219 posts)I have a feeling that this was common practice before vaccines. I would be grateful as a parent today to have all the vaccines available. We had so few, but the ones we had were significant. Putting a stop to polio was huge. I only remember the polio vaccine, since I had to have it twice (the first one "didn't take", and it was a wicked one.)
longship
(40,416 posts)Every one of those stupid, ignorant parents ought to read this:
Shingles -- Mayo Clinic
Then, maybe they would make sure their kids get the jab.
FLyellowdog
(4,276 posts)The pain is pretty bad....pretty bad. *sigh*
pipi_k
(21,020 posts)that's what a cousin of mine who had them said.
Absolutely miserable.
I hope you're feeling better soon.
davidpdx
(22,000 posts)I read today that he's doing the same. I wish both of you a speedy recovery.
#goodnightandgoodluck
FLyellowdog
(4,276 posts)11 Bravo
(23,926 posts)Fucking morons!
Downwinder
(12,869 posts)HuckleB
(35,773 posts)Are you promoting such "parties?"
Downwinder
(12,869 posts)another reason to get vaccinated. And another argument against this party idea.
pnwmom
(108,977 posts)or the vaccine.
Also, you can get shingles twice. So someone who had shingles in the past is still advised to get the vaccine.
JesterCS
(1,827 posts)twice in past 6 months. Vaccine costs $250. Which is way out of my affordable range.
Got me on Acyclovir and Pain meds. Not fun though
pnwmom
(108,977 posts)Sorry you're suffering with that. My sister had shingles and I know it's not fun.
JesterCS
(1,827 posts)it's more annoying than anything. If i keep myself busy I tend to not even notice it. This time is on my left leg on the backside just above the ankle.
And yeah.. I asked about insurance coverage, and supposedly, at least at CVS, Walgreens, insurance does not cover it at all.
msanthrope
(37,549 posts)pnwmom
(108,977 posts)msanthrope
(37,549 posts)pnwmom
(108,977 posts)The chicken pox vaccine is called the varicella vaccine. They are two separate vaccines, and researchers don't know yet whether an earlier vaccine for chicken pox will protect against shingles later on.
msanthrope
(37,549 posts)shingles vaccine is for people 60 and older, riight?
pnwmom
(108,977 posts)Originally they were limiting it to 60 and over because of a limited supply. But it actually seems to confer greater immunity if given in the 50's.
Unfortunately, they're not sure yet whether the immunity is permanent, or whether boosters will eventually be necessary.
msanthrope
(37,549 posts)are a bit younger.
madinmaryland
(64,931 posts)then my sister (two years younger than me) got it and was out for the next week..
then I got the mumps and was out for the following week..
and then my sister got the mumps and was out for the next week.
If my mom could have given us a vaccine for those illnesses, she would have. It was the month from HELL in her life.
pnwmom
(108,977 posts)We even got exposed to Scarlet Fever at one point. And every time I got something, my mother had three other younger kids to deal with, too.
Drew Richards
(1,558 posts)Sentenced their children to possibly experience as adults.
pnwmom
(108,977 posts)The chicken pox vaccine might cause shingles years later, just as an infection does. The jury is still out on that. So no one should assume they'll never need the shingles vaccine, on the basis that they had the chicken pox vaccine.
http://www.sfgate.com/health/article/Will-chicken-pox-vaccine-stop-shingles-4254236.php
Dr. Ann Arvin, professor of pediatrics and infectious diseases at Stanford, says doctors aren't yet sure whether this weakened virus will produce shingles immunity, too, or whether it is strong enough to cause shingles years later. In the meantime, she offers advice to adults over 50 who fear shingles' wrath: Get the shingles vaccine. Zostavax, which is also created from a weakened form of varicella, boosts adults' ability to fight the existing virus if it reactivates. The FDA approved the vaccine for people 50 and over in 2011, after a study of 22,000 people showed that people who had the vaccine were 70 percent less likely to get shingles within a year than people who received a placebo. The vaccine's protection lasts at least six years, and research is under way to determine if it lasts longer.
Historic NY
(37,449 posts)beside killing me. I spent a long time in the hospital in quarantine. I can't believe people want to live in the dark ages when its preventable.
davidpdx
(22,000 posts)Sounds terrible!
Historic NY
(37,449 posts)infection,it became blood poisoning was spreading. The Dr. said he would have to amputate is they could'nt stop the spread. I then developed pneumonia, which they though was spinal meningitis. I was having very high fevers at the time they used alcohol ice baths to get it down.
I spent a couple of months in isolation in the hosptial with a private nurse. After all these years and I still remember her name. I find cold weather, standing on cold floors or pavement still tends to make my leg sensitive some 40+ yrs later.
JCMach1
(27,556 posts)brought to you by rabid anti-vaccers
hedgehog
(36,286 posts)all at about age 2 to 6..
One kid was fine when I dropped him off at school, but covered with spots 20 minutes later when I was called to come get him! I was very lucky to be a stay at home Mom - imagine getting that call as you walk into work!
The youngest has a small scar on the side of her face from the chickenpox. The second youngest was recovering well and running around on the lawn when I went out for an hour; crashed on the couch with a fever and kidney infection when I got home. We spent an evening in the ER getting diagnosis and treatment.
I would have loved to vaccinate my kids, but it was reserved for special cases back then.
bullwinkle428
(20,629 posts)and I'm almost willing to bet the logic I heard back then was that it's better to get it when you're young. Can't recall whether my brother or I got it first, but we both went through it simultaneously. It wasn't the worst thing I ever went through, but couldn't imagine put a kid through that today, now that a vaccine is actually available.
davidpdx
(22,000 posts)tblue37
(65,340 posts)an excruciatingly painful disease that directly attacks the nerves and that can keep recurring, even after you make it through the first bout.
davidpdx
(22,000 posts)I remember when Letterman had it.
BrotherIvan
(9,126 posts)I never had the chicken pox and growing up there was always a scare it would happen on prom, graduation, all big events. Even though I tried to expose myself to friends who had it because I was told it was better than getting it later in life. Now that I'm older, I worry about getting a bad case of it. I don't go to the doctor at all, so I need to pick one, but it might be a good idea.
Heidi
(58,237 posts)The chickenpox vaccine (Varivax) is recommended for:
Young children. In the United States, children receive two doses of the varicella vaccine the first between ages 12 and 15 months and the second between ages 4 and 6 years as part of the routine childhood immunization schedule. The vaccine can be combined with the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine, but the combination may increase the risk of fever and seizure from the vaccine. Discuss the pros and cons of combining the vaccines with your child's doctor.
Unvaccinated older children. Children ages 7 to 12 years who haven't been vaccinated should receive two catch-up doses of the varicella vaccine, given at least three months apart. Children age 13 or older who haven't been vaccinated should also receive two catch-up doses of the vaccine, given at least four weeks apart.
Unvaccinated adults who've never had chickenpox but are at high risk of exposure. This includes health care workers, teachers, child care employees, international travelers, military personnel, adults who live with young children and all women of childbearing age. Adults who've never had chickenpox or been vaccinated usually receive two doses of the vaccine, four to eight weeks apart. If you don't remember whether you've had chickenpox or the vaccine, a blood test can determine your immunity.
BrotherIvan
(9,126 posts)JesterCS
(1,827 posts)I have Shingles... for the third time. Had Pox as a kid, pre-vaccine. I'm 32 years old.
BTW, Shingles SUCKS bad. The itching and pain are annoying.
That sucks. Take care. My best to you.
Its still being a pain in my ass at the moment. the itching is making me insane =(
mainer
(12,022 posts)Those who've had chickenpox as children harbor the virus in their nervous system for the rest of their lives. As you get older, or if you become immune suppressed, that virus can reactivate and cause painful, sometimes even life-threatening cases of shingles. The vaccine, followed up by booster shots, protects you from both chickenpox as well as shingles.
MissMillie
(38,553 posts)I had them when I was 2. I don't remember the chicken pox very much at all, but when I was 13 I got shingles. Let me tell you--I remember that.
And I'm at a high risk of getting them again some day.
Frank Cannon
(7,570 posts)Somehow I evaded them for that long.
Knocked me on my ass for weeks. I was afraid I was going to die, and at the same time, I kind of hoped I would.
It was the...ahem...scrotal ones I will NEVER forget.
MissMillie
(38,553 posts)Just thinking of that makes mine hurt (and of course I don't even have one)
OUCH!!!!!!
bravenak
(34,648 posts)I scratch so hard I got some pox marks on my face and forehead from it.
Chicken pox parties are stupid.
HockeyMom
(14,337 posts)when my older daughter came down with it. She was 11 and her sister 6. My younger daughter didn't get for a few weeks after her sister was finished. Aveno Oatmeal baths and Benadryl.
Compromised immune system factor in shingles? How about stress too? My husband got shingles after having 4 surgeries in 5 years. I would bet both played a factor in his getting shingles.
RebelOne
(30,947 posts)and at the same time, my two younger sisters had measles. My poor mother had her hands full at that time with 3 sick kids.
hunter
(38,311 posts)My youngest siblings (there are a number of us) had milder cases. One sibling had two little scratchy eruptions, that's all. A couple of mosquito bites.
My mom had a pretty hideous case of shingles, not the kind that just hurts, but the kind doctors get seriously worried about.
When I was working in hospital lab a new mom DIED when her toddler brought home chickenpox from daycare. It got in her lungs. Two little kids lost their mother.
Chickenpox is nothing to mess with.
Oddly, two of my great grandparents survived smallpox pretty much unscathed, with scars little more than my chickenpox. But other people in their families died.
Not a game of dice any sane person would want to play.
My own kids got chicken pox before the vaccine. Only one got them bad.
I got mumps too. Not nice.
Vaccines work.
Aristus
(66,328 posts)I still have a few scars left over from it. I would rather have had the vaccine...
Anti-vaxxers are just about the stupidest people on the planet...
xchrom
(108,903 posts)Cheers!
xchrom
(108,903 posts)davidpdx
(22,000 posts)child abuse
kestrel91316
(51,666 posts)at the ripe old age of 72. He never got it as a kid because he grew in a tiny, remote town in NV. As an adult he still lived there. But somebody eventually brought it to town and HE paid for it with his life. It was a hideous way to die, too.
Paladin
(28,254 posts)I can't (and I don't particularly want) to keep track, any more......
dembotoz
(16,802 posts)my mother told my wife she was sure i had gotten chicken pox "several times"
so much for my moms disease recognition skills....
anywho
my main memory of it was i answered the door to find my parents who were dropping off some teats and my father took one look at me and said "Holy Cripes" and then he just backed up.
guess i looked pretty damn bad