What’s funny about it? I’d really like to know.
Just the name of that illness brings to mind horrific images. Ugh…
Knowing an infant who died of chicken pox that he contracted from his preschool aged sister, I too am grateful that there is now a vaccine. That was even before I joined a club no one wants to join–parent of a cancer kid. Then the fear of chicken pox really got infused into me. Before the vaccine–and yes, I raised my kids before the vaccine was even available, even to families in situation like having a cancer kid, it was a wise move to get the chicken pox done and over with while kids were healthy and there was the time to deal with it.
My one son was 7 when the vaccine came out and he had not gotten the chicken pox even though exposed a number of times. His little brother was 3 and also had not had it Those two got the vaccine.
Both my kids had chicken pox before the vaccine, but at seperate times as they are 8 yrs apart. But they each were 3-4years old.
It is most contagious actually before the pox show, which makes it difficult to anticipate exposure.
They each had very mild cases, treated it with oatmeal baths & effervescent vitamin C.
This is interesting.
It says people who have had chickenpox, are prevented from developing shingles by exposure to kids with active chickenpox.
But with introduction of vaccine, incidence of exposure is diminished, so even more reason to get the shingles vaccine.
( which both H & I just did at our physical. Our insurance pays for it 100%, you don’t need to be 60).
“We missed out on our close friend’s wedding and festivities when our first one got the chicken pox.”
My then-boyfriend (now husband) missed my college graduation because he came down with chicken pox as a young adult! He was in medical school at the time. He was absolutely miserable. I was annoyed his parents hadn’t “ensured” he had it as a kid.
“It says people who have had chickenpox, are prevented from developing shingles by exposure to kids with active chickenpox.”
FWIW, my D had the c pox shot, got the c pox anyway (along with her twin) - and also developed shingles while in college.
I got chicken pox from my sister. My college aged cousin got it from my sister before my parents knew my sister had it. My cousin got extremely sick from it.
S got the vaccine as soon as it came out. He still got chicken pox but an extremely mild case. He only had two pox and both were on the palm of his hand.
I agree with Hunt re patriotism and that not vaccinating is a selfish act against all of us who live in this country. The herd is shrinking and that leaves all of us vulnerable. We need to collectively shun those who refuse to vaccinate without a valid medical exception.
I think it is great parents who vaccinate are demanding their pediatricians refuse non vaccinated patients.
I have seen it mentioned in the literature that people who had chicken pox and then who were repeatedly exposed to it again by others (usually children) seemed to gain some kind of protective advantage against shingles, which due to the chicken pox vaccine, has basically now been lost.
I personally am willing to make that sacrifice; in fact, I did have shingles in the past. I really need to get back in and get the vaccine.
This may be a dumb question, but adults seem to have more severe cases of childhood diseases, if they get it as adults. What is that due to? Is their immune system more developed than a say, 5 yr olds, so they have a bigger response?
I wonder if Angelina Jolie had the chickenpox as a child.
http://health.usnews.com/health-news/patient-advice/articles/2014/12/18/how-to-deal-with-childhood-diseases-as-an-adult
I’d also recommend keeping effervescent vitamin C in the home first aid kit. It works great on skin irritations, including burns.
I had both chicken pox and mumps as a kid. I remember mumps as being particularly unpleasant.
I guess we were on a different timeline. Varicella was available for my kid when my kid was still young. Pox party sounds like medieval. >>
My older two kids had the chicken pox in 1992, before the vaccine came out. IT went around our neighborhood and we let our kids play with each other. The youngest had it in 1999, but our doctor wasn’t giving it routinely, or at least hadn’t pushed it. For some reason, she didn’t get it when her sisters did; doctor probably because she was only 6 months old and breastfed.
You get shingles from having had chicken pox in your life or from direct exposure to the shingles fluids, is what I understand. The chicken pox vaccine does protect from shingles as well as from chicken pox. There is also a shingles vaccine.
There are those who have had chicken pox and not known it. What we were told while son was in oncology was that the milder the case of chicken pox, the greater the chance of getting it again. I always felt grateful that my kid had had a miserably horrible case of chicken pox, as it did increase the chances that he would not get it again, even when his immune system was compromised with chemo. His titres after chemo, showed that he retained most of his immunities from his vaccines, but he did get the boosters later anyways. And, yes, you can get chicken pox or other diseases for which you have been vaccinated against. What the vaccines specifically do is reduce the MORTALITY rates from the diseases. Though they also reduce the incidents and the severity, the focus is that mortality rate which is something that those who are so anti vaccine tend to ignore. They focus on side effects or that effectiveness of the vaccines and other such issues that are irrelvent most of the time when facing imminent death.
^Plus they cite dropping incidences of death or serious side effects from these diseases, ignoring the fact that one of the reasons for them is that some of the cases are milder specifically because the sick person has been vaccinated.
On philadelphia news last night, they did a five minute interview with a woman with 14 your old twin boys railing against vaccines. Blaming the vaccines for her sons autism, all with heartbreaking picture of her two sons and their disability - Then there was a 30 second rebuttal from a health care professional (who unfortunately was not very effective). The anchor then added the tagline that there has been no proven link with autism and vaccines.
This is a few days after Chris Christie goes on about how getting vaccine should be a parental choice.
Just more reasons why kids are not vaccinated.
@hunt. What’s funny is the local non-vaxers would rather drink non-organic milk than ever be associated with the concept of patriotism. In fact if one were to stand in front of the local Whole Foods and with a sign saying…go to the CVS next door, do your patriotic duty and get a flu shot…the WF shopping Prius Possy would likely march themselves into the vaccination area and pummel the pharmacy tech with hemp ropes.
THAT"s what funny…it would have the reverse effect on a majority of non-vaxers.
Getting kids vaccinated is a parental choice. Right now, it’s also required by schools and other areas where there is a large group of high risk people (kids) so to keep childhood mortality rates and the chances of an epidemic down. The medical exceptions are easy to get, and the schools don’t even usually check up on the self completed vaccine info. It’s hardly a big deal requirement right now.
As for not choosing a doctor who takes unvaccinated patients, well…nearly all of them do as there are a lot of people with medical waivers. Believe me, it 's not difficult to get a waiver. 20% of the kids here get them, which erodes herd immunity quite a bit. Got that piece of info straight from the district physician and nurse’s mouths a few years ago.
Re #2150
Exposure to someone with shingles can result in chicken pox to a non immune person.
It was my “fault” both times my younger sister got c-pox…
I got wild chicken pox at around age 4 and my mother tried to expose my younger sister (age 2) but she got only a very mild case (and my have been breastfeeding, I don’t know).
Later I was 500 miles away at summer camp as a teenager. My younger sisters including the 14yo decided to make me fudge for a care package, and the bowl of hot liquid broke and they all got 2nd degree burns. In the hospital, they all caught chicken pox. I was told this in a letter, that it was “my fault” - of course I’m not still bitter. 
No, that’s incorrect. You don’t get shingles from exposure to shingles, but someone who has never had chickenpox can get chickenpox if exposed to a person with shingles.
“the WF shopping Prius Posse would likely march themselves into the vaccination area and pummel the pharmacy tech with hemp ropes”
Just going OT, but I happen to have a Prius - love it, and intend on buying my kids Priuses too when they graduate. I do so because I don’t want any more of my gas dollar going to Saudi Arabia than absolutely necessary. Why the “posse”? What’s so wrong with wanting to conserve gas? It’s a weird thing to make fun of or mock, IMO.
So I take it that you agree with me that it’s our patriotic (or civic, if you like) duty to get the flu shot if we are medically able to do so? I’m glad we see eye to eye on that.