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Need to know = Chickenpox
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Ok my friends son got the vaccine for chickenpox last week. We were together Friday night and then she watched my 3 youngest on Saturday all day. Now today she just found out that that same son has the chickenpox. Our children are not vaccinated for it and have never had it.
So am I to assume the 3 youngest are now possibly going to get it? Who knows the ins and outs of chickenpox? I have always been told to expose my kids to it because we don’t do the vaccine, but we’ve never known anyone to have it. So is it a good thing? Should I have them play together soon or stay away?
Help.. we are suppose to get together again.. good idea or bad?Thanks MIsty
In my experience, it can be harder to catch than you’d think. My friend’s son played/wrestled with my son all day then the next day had chicken pox. My son didn’t get it then. Eventually my son did and then so did my daughter. That same friend had a daughter the same age as mine and she still hadn’t had them yet, so we put them in the bathtub together early in the blister stage. I would have thought she’d be highly contagious…but her daughter didn’t get it. This was 10 years ago. My younger sons haven’t been vaccinated for it but I’ve only heard of a few cases of it in our area in their lifetime. I’m not counting on them ever getting it! (I’ve decided we’ll vaccinate them for it if they haven’t gotten it by 11yo… four more years!)
Let us know if they do get it!
shannon
The people that I know that have purposefully exposed have done so by sharing lollipops with kids who had broken out, but not scabbed. And even THEN some of them didn’t get it. But they might already have it, it takes a few days for the pox to develop. In the meantime, I’d keep your kids away from little babies to avoid unintentionally exposing them or other children with immune deficiencies.
I wouldn’t worry about it, but pray for wisdom. I don’t purposefully expose my children because of the VERY rare chance that there is a severe complication and one of them should get it and die – I’d feel pretty terrible. But we also don’t vaccinate for the same reason – for the VERY off chance that there will be a severe reaction. I’ll have my girls tested for immunity when they are 11 or 12 and THEN have them vaccinated if necessary (it’s dangerous for mom and baby to be pregnant and catch it, so I don’t want to risk THOSE complications either).
Chicken pix is most contagious 2-3 days before symptoms appear. It is spread by sneezing, coughing, sharing food or drinks, and touching open blisters. The incubation period following and exposure is 14-16 days on average but as much as 21 days.
Misty, we have been through the CP over a yr ago! My dh had the shingles and gave them to our boys. They have never been vaccinated.
I think it just depends on their immune system. My best friend didn’t get them until our Senior year! And you know she had to been exposed in PS!! She also had a very mild case of them! Some people don’t even know they have them as they don’t break out too much!
Not our case! My sons had a severe breakout! Both were miserable and both have scars from it! I made sure they got probiotics, silver, and other vitamins to help their immune system. And they took oatmeal baths as well as me dabbing calamine lotion all over them…that took forever! They also broke out about 2 weeks apart from one another!
In some ways, you don’t want them..but in other ways you just want them to get it over with! But, if you have a small child then stay away! Also, it may take a while to see anything appear. It took 2 weeks for the first one to show signs after being exposed to dad! Strange!
Blessings!
Chickenpox is pretty predictable, imo. With my kids it has always followed this pattern: They’ve been exposed to someone who had it, but didn’t know it yet. The exposure consisted of playing together — not sharing food, or being exposed to open sores, just playing. EXACTLY two weeks later, it begins with a fever and a lethargic feeling, and almost immediately after noticing symptoms, the first spots appear. Spots continue to appear for three or four days and will usually ALL be scabbed over about a week after the first ones appear. The fever lasts 24-36 hours, some kids get covered with spots, some only get a few, some will have lots of itchiness, some not so much.
My oldest five children didn’t get the vaccination. My youngest five were all (presumably) vaccinated in their Chinese orphanage. ALL FIVE OF THEM HAVE HAD IT AFTER THE VACCINATION. Four of them had it last week. I do think the ones who had the vaccine got a milder case, but it just shows how much good the vaccine does.
It seems to me that the vaccine is more for the convenience of parents than for the best interests of children’s health. I realize that a small number of children become very sick with chicken pox, and for that reason I would not purposely expose my children, but for most children it is a mild disease and it seems like actually having it is better protection than the vaccination.
I wish I knew someone with it so I could have my dd exposed. Get it over with. My 3 olders had it when they were in 1st grade and a toddler. It was the hardest on the toddler as he kept taking his diaper off and crying. It was a long few nights going between all 3 trying to comfort them and sooth the itch as much as possible. But I am glad they had it so they have less chance of getting the shingles. I have known 3 people with that and they have suffered quite a bit.
Hmm so I am still so confused… stay away or not? At this point my 3 youngest were with her son 3 days before he got his 1st scab so I am safe to say they could get it anyway. My 3 oldest I am sure were vaccinated (as we were not up on the vaccine thing back then and choose differently).
Hmm.. we’ll see at this point I don’t think it will make a difference cause they were with him already. So I guess we’ll just wing it and see what happens. I do know my dh had chickenpox when he was in high school and it was terrible. So the younger the better on the recovery from what I have read. Thanks for sharing your stories I appreciate it.
Misty
My daughter just got them after her vaccination, but the rest of my kids didn’t get them (we choose to delay some vaccinations and skip others, so all my youngers didn’t have the vaccination). No one got it. What I read was that it was nearly impossible to catch the chicken pox from someone who got them through the vaccine because the strain is weakened. However, I’d expose them now and see what happens. Better to catch them now rather than when they get older.
“What I read was that it was nearly impossible to catch the chicken pox from someone who got them through the vaccine because the strain is weakened. “
Oh, that’s interesting, and it sounds right to me. Since my kids were vaccinated, I didn’t expect them to get it and so I know they went to church when they were likely contagious, but none of the other kids at church seems to have caught it from them. Although I guess my kids didn’t catch it through the vaccine, but got it in spite of the vaccine…. but maybe the same concept applies?
Just wanted to say – I got it when I was 17, and it was AWFUL. I had them on the INSIDE of my eyelids (had to see a doctor over that…) – and places which it isn’t polited to mention….
Well, I believe you can catch them from someone w/ a live vaccine inside them! The reason for a child who is recently vaccinated to stay away from babies and pregnant women!
And vaccinations, not always, can cause you to have the full blown virus/disease!
This is just one article of many on that outbreak in 2010 in schools. These kids WERE vaccinated!
http://www.naturalnews.com/028142_mumps_vaccines.html
I don’t want to start up a debate…just saying that I believe you can catch the virus from a vaccinated person..if only in a small window of time..and the likelihood is small!
@sueinms, shingles is caused from having the chicken pox virus..all people are at risk after you have had chicken pox no matter how old you were. The virus continues to live at the base of the brain/nerves and comes out as shingles due to stress, illness, being old, low immunity etc.. Does that mean we will all get the shingles? NO, but there is a big chance in our lifetime.
I had CP as a child and got shingles the month after my second child was born when I was 29. Thank goodness she nor my 3yo got it even though they both had touched the rash (on my belly/side)for over a week of it when I didn’t know what it was. I was not unhealthy after her birth and don’t know why I got shingles then.
Best,
Shannon
Shannon, it could have been just been the stress of being a mom to a new little one and a toddler!! LOL! That will send your body in overtime!!
If it were me (and this is just my OPINION) and we chose against vaccines (which we don’t), I would try and expose the children to chicken pox while they are young. The complications can be severe if you contract them at an older age, and generally are not severe at a younger age. Obviously, there are risks either way. We have had two children that had a mild case of chicken pox (baby & 3 year old), one who never showed any signs of having it although she was exposed while her brother and sister had it, and the rest of our children have been vaccinated against it. No complications from the vaccine or the actual chickenpox thus far.
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