Chickenpox Lollipops

[DrPhil]

What in the hell is wrong with people?! Nevermind, I already know. This is dumber than "chickenpox parties."

Originally Posted by TODAYMoms

Chickenpox lollipops? Some moms may be sending in mail

by Rita Rubin

You’ve probably heard of "chickenpox parties," where parents get unvaccinated kids together (in the home of an infected child) in the hopes they'll catch the disease. They think making their kids suffer through the disease will help them develop stronger immunity than immunization would provide.
But now the buzz is all about people shipping objects that have been contaminated with the chickenpox virus to people who live too far away to attend a pox party.
A Nashville TV station Thursday reported on a local woman who charged $50 a pop to ship suckers smothered in saliva by her sick kids.

http://moms.today.msnbc.msn.com/_new...ending-in-mail

[DaffyKD]

Chicken pox parties are still around? We had them when I was little long before the vaccine was even a thought. The idea was that it was far better for a child to get chicken pox while young than to get them when they became an adult. Both of my kids had them since they were still working on the vaccine when they were young. Both were exposed to cases before the other child actually broke out with the poxes. Luckily, both of them had VERY mild cases.

DaffyKD

[amIblue?]

W. T. F.

[KDCat]

Ugh. I hate that people deliberately give kids the chickenpox. Chickenpox usually is a mild disease, but if you have it, you usually never get rid of it. The virus lurks in your body for the rest of your life. When you are over 60 or become immune compromised, it can spring back to life and give you shingles, which is extremely painful, and which can reoccur over and over.

[DaffyKD]

Originally Posted by KDCat

Ugh. I hate that people deliberately give kids the chickenpox. Chickenpox usually is a mild disease, but if you have it, you usually never get rid of it. The virus lurks in your body for the rest of your life. When you are over 60 or become immune compromised, it can spring back to life and give you shingles, which is extremely painful, and which can reoccur over and over.

In the days when we had the chickenpox parties it was thought that only those who had never had chickenpox as a child would be susceptible to shingles when they were older. The parents thought they were preventing problems down the line only to learn later they were wrong.

DaffyKD

[southbymidwest]

Originally Posted by DaffyKD

In the days when we had the chickenpox parties it was thought that only those who had never had chickenpox as a child would be susceptible to shingles when they were older. The parents thought they were preventing problems down the line only to learn later they were wrong.

DaffyKD

Not only that, there was the worry regarding the severity and possible complications of adult chickenpox, and pregnant women who had not had chickenpox contracting it. It was a pay me now or pay me big time later scenario. But yeah, that was all BEFORE the vaccine became available.

[alum]

My oldest had chickenpox at age 4.5. Six years later My youngest got the vaccine at 5 y.o. I am much more worried about kid2 getting reinfected vs. kid 1.

[carnation]

Once the vaccine came out, my 7 youngest got it (the older ones had already had chicken pox). Every one of the vaccinated ones got chicken pox anyway. When I asked the doctor about it, he said they got a lighter case than they would have without the vaccine.I think he made that up since their cases were as bad as those of my unvaccinated ones.

[amIblue?]

Originally Posted by carnation

Once the vaccine came out, my 7 youngest got it (the older ones had already had chicken pox). Every one of the vaccinated ones got chicken pox anyway. When I asked the doctor about it, he said they got a lighter case than they would have without the vaccine.I think he made that up since their cases were as bad as those of my unvaccinated ones.

As the only person I know who never has had the chicken pox and who got vaccinated in my late 30s - YIKES!!!

But to speak to DrPhil's original post - that's pretty darn irresponsible to knowingly ship infectious material. Had something happened to the packaging, couldn't some unsuspecting person have been exposed? I realize that chicken pox isn't exactly anthrax, but still.

[Still BLUTANG]

Originally Posted by amIblue?

that's pretty darn irresponsible to knowingly ship infectious material.

That's my concern. What is wrong with people?????

[KSUViolet06]

Ew.

I have had the pox, but as an infant, so I don't remember it.

I always cringed when people I knew got it at older ages because their descriptions of how they felt were SO AWFUL. I used to be like "man I'm glad I got it as a baby."

One time, someone told me (in elementary school) that I could still get it even though I'd had it before and I cried. lol.

[christiangirl]

No. That's my final answer.

[AOII Angel]

Originally Posted by carnation

Once the vaccine came out, my 7 youngest got it (the older ones had already had chicken pox). Every one of the vaccinated ones got chicken pox anyway. When I asked the doctor about it, he said they got a lighter case than they would have without the vaccine.I think he made that up since their cases were as bad as those of my unvaccinated ones.

Did they get two shots? I supposedly had the chickenpox as a child but didn't test positive for antibodies when I started med school so I had to get the vaccine. Yes, you can still get infected, though it should be less severe. If I ever exposed to someone with chickenpox or shingles, I have to be tested to see if I have antibodies against the virus. If not, I can't go to the hospital for five days until they are sure I haven't contracted the disease. Not everyone who gets vaccines actually develops antibodies to make them immune. My husband has had tons of MMR vaccines because he never develops antibodies against Rubella.

[VandalSquirrel]

Originally Posted by AOII Angel

Did they get two shots? I supposedly had the chickenpox as a child but didn't test positive for antibodies when I started med school so I had to get the vaccine. Yes, you can still get infected, though it should be less severe. If I ever exposed to someone with chickenpox or shingles, I have to be tested to see if I have antibodies against the virus. If not, I can't go to the hospital for five days until they are sure I haven't contracted the disease. Not everyone who gets vaccines actually develops antibodies to make them immune. My husband has had tons of MMR vaccines because he never develops antibodies against Rubella.

I had the chicken pox when I was in third grade or so, over my birthday so I stayed home and played with my new Barbies. I have a few scars but nothing disfiguring. My eldest sister never had it and I'm not sure if she got the shot before she started to plan to get pregnant. I'm slightly concerned about shingles and though the shot is recommended for older people, I get random health problems that my body poorly responds to which could be an unexpected shingles experience in the making.

I have quite a few vaccinations that don't show up on a titre but I had the full amount as a child and have kept up on all my vaccinations as an adult. Since my field work is in Alaska there is no messing around with MMR and TB, so one time I had a short window before flying out and had to get proof of my MMR. Getting a copy from the doctor I had before I left home as an adult would have been a massive hassle, so my doctor did a titre. I was lacking one of the three, not mumps but one of the measles, and it had to be specially ordered instead of just giving me another whole MMR shot (which probably wouldn't have hurt me...).

I had another titre done for the hepatitis series that came back with no immunity and I did that whole series again. I've also had a positive tb test and that was with tines, not Mantoux, probably a false positive, so I'm going to be a bossy pants and demand the TB blood test to avoid a yearly chest x-ray since I'm not keen on exposing my bodacious tatas to any more radiation than necessary. My titres also denied that I had shots for pneumonia, bacterial meningitis, and sometimes DPT. Since I'm "high risk" for tetanus I got one before the 10 year period, and within six months the titre was in denial. This is when the doctor decided it is possible I'm a non-converter and don't show antibodies, like your husband experiences.

[AOII Angel]

Originally Posted by carnation

Y'all make sure you get your shingles vaccines at 60! I've known a lot of older folks who didn't and have regretted every second of that.

AOII Angel, these children are between 11 and 21 and only 1 shot was recommended at the time. Interestingly, all contracted the virus within a year of their shots.

Originally Posted by VandalSquirrel

I had the chicken pox when I was in third grade or so, over my birthday so I stayed home and played with my new Barbies. I have a few scars but nothing disfiguring. My eldest sister never had it and I'm not sure if she got the shot before she started to plan to get pregnant. I'm slightly concerned about shingles and though the shot is recommended for older people, I get random health problems that my body poorly responds to which could be an unexpected shingles experience in the making.

I have quite a few vaccinations that don't show up on a titre but I had the full amount as a child and have kept up on all my vaccinations as an adult. Since my field work is in Alaska there is no messing around with MMR and TB, so one time I had a short window before flying out and had to get proof of my MMR. Getting a copy from the doctor I had before I left home as an adult would have been a massive hassle, so my doctor did a titre. I was lacking one of the three, not mumps but one of the measles, and it had to be specially ordered instead of just giving me another whole MMR shot (which probably wouldn't have hurt me...).

I had another titre done for the hepatitis series that came back with no immunity and I did that whole series again. I've also had a positive tb test and that was with tines, not Mantoux, probably a false positive, so I'm going to be a bossy pants and demand the TB blood test to avoid a yearly chest x-ray since I'm not keen on exposing my bodacious tatas to any more radiation than necessary. My titres also denied that I had shots for pneumonia, bacterial meningitis, and sometimes DPT. Since I'm "high risk" for tetanus I got one before the 10 year period, and within six months the titre was in denial. This is when the doctor decided it is possible I'm a non-converter and don't show antibodies, like your husband experiences.

Some people also supposedly don't have detectable titres but will actually respond when exposed to the antigen. I had to have an extra Hep B, too. I converted after that. They don't check you later to see if you keep immunity. I've been told that lots of people test neg for chicken pox who aren't really negative...the antibodies are just really low. Oh well...I got the shots.