Chicken Pox Parties?

Why on earth would you want to put your child through the horrid discomfort of Chickenpox!? It's painful! It's itchy! And there are risks that come with it too.

While Chickenpox is typically a benign, self-limited disease, serious complications can happen. About 14,000 people are hospitalized because of chicken pox and approximately 100 people die of chickenpox every year. The risk of complications is highest in people with compromised immune systems, newborns, and adults.

By preventing your child from being protected against Chickenpox, you are taking the risk of him/her being one of those 100 people who die! Why not take the small risk the other way? I'll tell you why! Fear mongering! And people buy into!

Here is a site that explains the complications very well. One of which is Shingles that occurs later in life, but you only get it if you have had Chickenpox.

http://dermatology.about.com/cs/chic...hickencomp.htm

I've had Shingles! I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy! It's horridly painful. And while I was lucky and caught it early enough and went on antiviral medications, many aren't. And those that aren't are subjected to horrid nerve pain to the area for the rest of their lives! And I mean seriously painful nerve pain.

Let me ask you something.

Cancer is a growing concern. Even people who do not have family histories of certain types of cancer or who have never smoked are getting cancer.

If there were a vaccine available that would prevent you from ever getting cancer, but that vaccine had to be administered before a certain age, and let's say that age was under 18 where a parent's permission was required, would you have your child vaccinated? Now remember, it would allow them to live the rest of their lives without the risk of ever getting any type of cancer. What about a vaccine for HIV/AIDS? Hep C? Or any number of other fatal incurable diseases?

Would you prefer to let your child go through their life with the chance of getting any one of those incurable diseases than to allow them one small second to get a vaccine that would protect them the rest of their lives?

Sure there are occasional complications from vaccines. But people fail to remember that those complications are few and far between and that the number of people who are vaccinated and do not experience any complications far out number the few that do.

I'm sorry, but I can't buy into the archaic thinking that it is better to allow a child to become sick than to protect them with through advances in modern science.

Linda, Thank you so much for that well informed post! I was contemplating the same thing myself about getting my son vaxed or letting him get them. I hadn't done much research yet so your post is very helpful.

Id' say before the vaccine became availabel a pox party might not be such a bad idea because complications are a bigger problem the older you are but now I think it's worth getting the vax.

The chicken poc vaccine is a live virus vaccine, and therefore sheds. Thus, many times, children who are vaccinated against CP come down with it anyway. They can and do infect others, as well.

Due to the CP vaccine, more and more children are now coming down with shingles; so many, in fact, that there's now talk of a shingles vaccine. Additionally, because those of us who have had CP aren't being exposed tp the virus as often anymore, more adults are coming down w/shingles, too.

Another thing the CP vax os doing is shifting the age group of the most commonly infected demographic. That is, instead of CP being most often encountered during the childhood years when it's a mild andself-limiting disease, the wild virus is becoming so rare that kids/people are getting it at a later age--when it's more dangerous.

I just wrote two blog posts about vaccines and vax research. Please check out my user profile for my blog's web addy or PM me for it.

We, as a society, really need to start considering what exactly we're putting into our children's bodies.

I have had the chicken pox vac. I got it before I started college when I had to get all of my other standard shots. I am 22 and have never had the chicken pox. I also baby sat my cousins when they had it because I was 12 at the time and mom thought it would be best to get it over with but never got it.
But for the the vac is just precautionary as they think I am immune to it because I had a major blood transfusion when i was a baby. But who knows!
It hurt but that was because the vac was cold. I hate that! But no other problems. It was also a 3 step I got one, then another 6 months later and then another a year later I think. But no chicken pox so far!

We may be over-antibioticked, but we aren't over-vaccinated. In fact, there are serious concerns about children not being vaccinated enough. Keep in mind, polio is still in the environment; children can still get it. As someone who was born during one of the last polio epidemics, and as someone who almost died from measles, I have to say that parents who refuse to vaccinate, depending on other parents to vaccinate THEIR kids so that an epidemic can't take hold, are some of the most selfish and irresponsible people in our society today.

Well, gosh! Thanks!

On the contrary, on the whole (thought I'm sure not 100%) parents who choose not to vaccinate their children are doing all they can to support their children's immune systems naturally and are actually *wanting* their children to acquire the life-long immunity that come with contracting the diseases.

And as for polio, the last cases of it in the US actually occurred as a result of the vaccination--the OPV, which was a live-virus vaccine as well.

I had the chickenpox when I was a baby [caught it from my sisters]. I don't remember it at all but I wound up with 2 rather noticible crater scars on my cheek due to my scraping off the scabs. I carried those scars for many years, until I opted for a dermabrasion and the surgeon literally 'sanded' them away.

Nice to know I'm selfish and irresponsible! I sure wish I'd known you 11 years ago when my daughter had a horrible vaccine reaction and I spent night after night holding her screaming, fevered body and watched her go from a healthy, normal infant to one with lifelong issues. I REALLY could have used a hand about then, because the stress almost pushed our family over the edge! Of course, she's just considered "collateral damage"---giving up her life of hopes, dreams and health for the good of society. Somehow, I find that a far from comforting thought.

Needless to say---my daughter will NEVER get another vaccine for the rest of her life!

Vaccinating is a very personal decision, and WAY WAY WAY overdone IMO. We as a society are now trading in short term discomfort with a small chance of complications for many more children with lifelong chronic conditions---seizures, diabetes, adhd, autism and others---as a direct result of overvaccinating and use of toxic adjunctives that are in vaccines.

Chicken pox parties are DEFINITELY the way to go. The vaccine---the glorious vaccine--doesn't even WORK. There have to be repeated doses every few years...each time the person is dosed, they shed the live viruses for up to 3 weeks, exposing others with compromised immune systems to the risk of shingles, etc. Chicken pox, OTOH, is a one time illness, which, btw, can be lessened with use of anti-viral drugs given at the first sign of illness, if desired.

My .02 worth.

Cally

I like the idea! When our daughter was around 6 yrs. old, our neighbour's little girl had chicken pox. I sent Jennifer over to play with her hoping she would get it and get it over with. She did get it, but a very, very mild case so I never knew if she really built up any immunities from that or not.

I honestly think that if you have normal, healthy children the can handle chicken pox and mumps. As for polio, yes I think a vaccine is a good idea because the damage it does is so much more than a few pock marks.

If the disease is very serious and can cause someone to be crippled or worse, then yes, I say get the vaccine. If it's just a case of mumps or chicken pox, then I definitely would not vaccinate. I do believe we are an over-medicated society these days.

I had chicken pox as an adult. I ran a 102-103 fever for 6 days straight and they were about to hospitalize me when the fever dropped to 100 (for another week). Just to kill time, I started to count the pox marks that were on my face. I stopped counting when I hit 250. My torso was far worse than my face. No medication relieved the pain and fever I went through for that 2 week period. You can't sleep when you have hundreds of painful pox sores on your torso - there is no getting comfortable.

Chicken pox is typically far worse in adults than children. If the vaccine has a lot of risk, then as a parent (which I'm not), I would want my young children to get it early and build an immunity to it. A chicken pox party may be extreme, but why not?

Thank you Linda, for writing all that. I agree 100% with your post!

I thought it's routine procedure to vaccinate all kids for chicken pox along with all the other things like measles mumps smallpox whatever else is out there.
I know I've had all those as a baby...I didn't know some parents decide not to have them. I think it's crazy not to vaccinate for it.


ETA: I just looked it up it was approved in the US in 95 but I was born in Bulgaria and there they started to use it as early as 1988- that's the year I was born.

I'm not much older than you, and I wasn't vaccinated. I caught chicken pox when I was 6 years old, so in 1989. I don't remember feeling sick in any way other than being itchy. I did have scars from scratching, and some got infected.

I don't have kids, so I don't know how I'd feel about letting my kids catch chicken pox vs. getting them vaccinated. Obviously, I'd want to go with whatever is less of a risk.

I don't have kids, but if I did they would not be getting vaccinated against chicken pox.

My nephew had his vaccinations, but not CP my sister doesn't want him to have that shot.

I chose to vaccinate my youngest child. My son had them before we adopted him. My oldest has been exposed but never caught The chicken pox. She will be getting an antibody test first. I chose to vaccinate mine , because I got viral spinal meningitis from the Chicken pox. I was unable to walk. I was hospitalized for 23 days. It took me almost a year to recover. I know it rare. I would not put my child through that. My nephew ended up with severe scaring on his body including his private parts. His mother bathed him in oatmeal. used calamine and anti iche medication. That poor little guy was covered from head to toe ran high fevers had convulsions. His sister had on pox she was not ill. I think it is a personal choice.

I got the chicken pox as a 5 yr old and yes it was from a party ...

Jillian Thank you for the research ... I have done it but only after finding out my dog was going to die from a issue likely caused by a COMMON preventative Poison ...

I was born in '59, and my sister in '61. The vaccine wasn't available when we were children. I remember being taken to the neighbor kid's house, by my mom, when they had chicken pox. My sister and I both had such a mild case of it that my mom wasn't sure we even caught it (low grade fever and only a couple 'pox' each.) Several years ago, my father had a case of shingles. He was in pure agony. Just thinking about his suffering makes me wonder if I should consider the shingles vaccine! I don't have children, but I am hesitant to vaccinate my cats because of VAS (vaccine associated sarcoma), even though I know it is fairly rare.

When I was little my mother sent me to every kid with the pox... just because I hardly got it when I did get it and they wanted to be sure it took.

Itchy, annoying, yes, but at the least I couldn't get it as an adult, was their reasoning.

The thing I remember most about Chicken Pox is the doctor walking into my bedroom (they still made housecalls then) and saying, "My, what a lovely speckled trout!" Yes, it itched like crazy, and I have been a scratcher from day one, but wasn't really that big a deal.

If people noticed, the vaccine is recommended to 13 and up who haven't had it yet. Which gives kids plenty of chances to get it naturally, too.
While I'm leery of most vaccinations, that's a choice a parent (or adult getting a vaccination) must make - and hopefully an informed one. Severe reactions do happen, and that information should never be gloss over and ignored.

CatMom2Wires - Thank you for sharing the story of what happened to your daughter, I am so sorry that she was one of the unlucky ones that did have a terrible reaction to a vaccination. We actually have another member on here who had a daughter affected by a series of vaccinations, too.

It's a bit ironic, though, that a parent not vaccinating their child due to past adverse reactions are selfish and irresponsible, yet cat owners who forgo vaccinations because their cat had an adverse reaction are not judge for it (despite the fact that there's even laws requiring those vaccinations).

I didn't get chicken pox till I was 12 - I wasn't sent to play with any kids that had it, though I was around them (school and all). I had a total of four pox on my body that didn't itch unless clothing rubbed against them (as any type of bump would). I also didn't have much of a fever (I think my average body temp was below 98F even back then) so my mother didn't even know I was sick until I developed pox in my throat and a secondary respiratory infection. It pretty much wasn't any different than any of the times I had bronchitis so I was told there was a possibility I could catch chickenpox again. That said I don't plan on getting any vaccinations for it.

DH just informed me that he has had chicken pox twice. His second time was around 12-13 and was very bad.

Our daughter had a very mild case as well.

Agreed here as well...I'm sorry, but that [pox party] just seems illogical to me. If we didn't have the advances in science, I would support it...but we DO and we should take advantage of that.

I agree with this - to a point. There is an MP in Oakville, Ontario that has lost his daughter to a prescription drug (one prescribed for bulimia (sp)). She jumped up and dropped dead. When she was dying he overheard a doctor say that the drug was being indiscriminately prescribed and after her death he started doing some research. (This was an interview on CBC radio this morning and confirms my worst fears.) Apparently the drug companies pay a large portion of Health Canada fees to get drugs OK'd for public consumption. The doctors are approached by reps of the drug companies so unless the doctor has the time or patience to read 50 pages of fine print (50 pages on this particular drug that indicates it can cause heart problems), then he is going to take the reps word for what the drug does or does not do. The statement was also made that ALL drugs have side effects. He is trying to get some changes made in how drugs are approved. By the way, this does not apply to American FDA rules/laws - only Canada.

So just because a drug is new and recommended by medical personnel, it does not ease my mind that it is the next best thing to sliced bread. An excellent example is the latest craze for quitting smoking - Champix. All we hear is how effective it is for quitting. What they don't say is that it has terrible side effects as in depression and suicides.

You'd be surprised - or maybe not. A lot of stuff gets pushed through too soon. Only recently has the FDA tightened up some things and required more warnings on certain drugs. As for the drug reps and doctors - that's the same here. It's probably the rare doctor that has absolutely refused kick backs.

As I said on another forum your doctor often doesn't know (or care), you pharmacist probably doesn't either - it's unfortunately up to us to learn these things and protect ourselves.

I had a pretty mild case of chicken pox when I was about 5 or 6. But, I do remember my friends mom sending her over for a sleepover in hopes she'd go ahead and get it (she did).

However, I was diagnosed with shingles back in November. THE WORST PAIN OF MY LIFE! Because of a misdiagnose of a pulled back muscle and me (not to mention the two doctors I saw) foolishly diagnosing the rash on my back as a reaction to a Therma Care heat wrap, I wasn't starting on anti-viral meds until I had already had it for a week. I lost my job because I missed so much work. And I still have residual nerve pain in my back from time to time. Thankfully, it has seemed to lessen in the last month or two. Hopefully this will not be a problem I will have to suffer through for the rest of my life. Others are not so lucky.

I do realize there is a risk with the CP vaccine, as with all vaccines. I truly do feel terrible for those who have horrifying reactions to any vaccine. It's heartbreaking to think parents are trying to protect their children and they end up in pain. But...knowing what I do about shingles and experiencing it first hand, anything that will save people, or even lessen their chances, of getting CP and perhaps shingles I am for...despite the risks. I have no children, so it is possible I would feel differently as a mother. But for now, I stand firm on my ground.

So even though you had chicken pox as a child you still got shingles?

Shingles is from the same virus. If I'm not mistaken, you CAN'T get shingles without having had chicken pox.

Yes. That's right. Even after having chickenpox, the virus remains dormant in your body for the rest of your life. Shingles is usually a disease that effects older people (lucky me, I'm 20), but can be caused by extreme stress or anything that has compromised your immune system (AIDS, cancer, any severe infection).

With me, stress was definitely the cause. I had just moved, was studying for finals, had just been given far more responsibility at work, and my mother was having health problems. Apparently just the right cocktail for shingles.