[momofmng]

OK... I have been reading the threads about whether to revaccinate or not. I chose the "not" version as my ped was happy with the vaccination record Sophia has from Dr. Pinto in Guat. However... and this is in no way just an IA issue... I refused the Varicella (Chicken Pox) vaccine. Both my bio kids had the chicken pox disease and I feel so secure with their immunity as they both had lots of spots and the typical course. The chicken pox vaccine came out around the time my second child had the disease, so it really wasn't an option.

Now... my ped is warning me of the dangers of my child having the chicken pox disease and is unhappy with my decision and is advising me to give her the vaccine.

I am interested to hear from everybody what their choice was for their children... let them get the Chicken Pox or let them have the vaccine (which I am concerned may not guarantee lifetime immunity).

Thanks!!

Sarah

[BrandyHagz]

I gave it to my son, only because I'm one of those odd .1% of people who can get it over and over again - I've had them four times...twice as an adult...so giving him the vaccine was not only for his protection, but also for mine.

[momofmng]

Yikes Brandy... I guess the vaccine would not have helped you either then!! Were you terribly sick as an adult like I was warned?

Sarah

[BrandyHagz]

The two times as an adult I was very very sick...once was just after my 19th birthday and it was THAT episode the made the decision easy to make when the time came.

The last time I got them was four years ago and I'm still not sure how I got them, because I hadn't been in contact with anyone who had them...I'm just extra careful now...My son's school knows and alerts me to every case they get at the school...which is really nice of them (Thank goodness for small schools!)

[angelkisses0102]

For our daughter we didn't have to make the decision as she had the Pox at 6 months old. For our son, we decided to vaccinate...there is no guaratee that he will get them as a toddler or pre-schooler and I still remember getting them when I was 11 years old...I still have a few of the scars almost 30 years later...it was so horrible....and I have heard it is worse in adults...we decided not to risk it.

[pmgor]

I refused the Chicken Pox for all my children. My 9 year old has already had the disease and while it wan'st fun she had very few scars and did well as long as I was observant about the itchies.

The 6 year old we don'tknow if she had it because she had spots prior to the sister but she wasn't sick or seemed sick so we are still waiting to see.

Miguel hasn't had it that we know of.

I don't feel that Chicken Pox is the monster that it has been portrayed to be. Don't get me wrong I know children that got very sick with it but our children have very healthy immune systems and I felt that we could take a chance. The vaccine is *NOT* 100% effective and I've read that it could actually delay the illness just until you are older when you have a much higher risk of a worse illness. My child got the illness from a child that had the vaccine and developed CP as a result of it.

[BrandyHagz]

Maria is right - the vaccine isn't 100% - one of the moderators here was telling me a few weeks ago that four children at her daughters school got them, and they'd all had the vaccine.

Just like all other medical decisions - its a personal thing - only you can really answer what is best for you, your child and your family.

[SydneyRN]

Brandy,
Do you know if you're getting a new infection or if you're reactivating your chicken pox virus? My immune system sucks and I've now had shingles twice (I'm only 29). Shingles is a reactivation of old chicken pox virus and it makes me MISERABLE! I've had it on my neck and the middle of my back, with the chicken pox blisters isolated there.

Our kids will be getting the chicken pox vaccine. The vaccine greatly reduces the kids chances of having a devestating, life threatening case of chicken pox (which does happen) and and it reduces their risk of developing shingles later in life. The CDC says about 100 kids die per year of chicken pox!

[BrandyHagz]

Sydney,

The first time it came back - the Dr. said that my first round must not have been bad enough...the second time they came back, he said the same thing...I dunno. Then, this last time, I just wanted to die - I mean, like lay down and die, it was horrid...and the Dr. (a different one, military) said the same thing...

I just don't see how I could have had 3 pretty intense cases of pox, and not had them "bad enough". The third time (before this last time) I was COVERED in blisters...and I still got them again.

[lisam951]

My 10 yo was vaccinated before she went to preschool at age 3.5 only because she had not had them and the school preferred that she be vaccinated. Marisol had the chicken pox while still in Guatemala so we did not have to worry about it with her.

[my3guats]

I think in our state it is now mandated if the child has not had the disease. I always thought too that the disease wasn't too bad...until I saw my three nieces and nephews have it. They were little...like maybe 3(twins) and 5. I have NEVER seen kids as sick as these three were. They all were healthy until that and didn't have immune problems but from that point on I never thought of it as mild again. Our two oldest had chicken pox. Our third was just a baby then and didn't get them(this was before the vaccine). When Connor and Callie came home we were waiting for Callie to turn a year so both could get it at once since it was a live virus and the day she turned one they were exposed. Our doctor recommended getting the vaccine anyway so we did right away as she said it would probably make their cases milder. They did have a few spots a couple of weeks later but definitely a mild case. We also had our third child vaccinated when it became available. Isaac also was vaccinated when he came home.

[numbr1dbcksfan]

Well... vaccination is not just to protect your child it is to protect everyone. Chicken Pox CAN be deadly so when parents dont vaccinate and pass it around it can be spread to older people who definately have not been vaccinated-- and so on and so forth.

I remember the chicken pox... and they were awful! I cant imagine not trying to protect my child from that... maybe not 100% but it is doing your part. By not having your child vaccinated you are opening the door for the vaccinated child to get it... since the unvaccinated is the one more likely to get it and pass it on.

This is what I found on the site Im looking at--

Is the vaccine effective in preventing chickenpox all the time?
No vaccine is 100% effective in preventing disease. For chickenpox vaccine, about 8 to 9 out of every 10 people who are vaccinated are completely protected from chickenpox. The vaccine almost always prevents against severe disease. If a vaccinated person does get chickenpox, it is usually a very mild case with fewer skin lesions (usually less than 50) lasting only a few days, no fever or a low fever, and few other symptoms.

I guess my view is that by not getting your child immunized you are exposing my child and the older population at risk. It just isnt about whether you thought chicken pox were "that bad" when you had them...

My two cents...

[avoel]

I guess I should chime in here from the physician point of view. Regarding the longevity of immunity from the chicken pox vaccine...it is not like we are just giving this vaccine and hoping for the best. This is something that is constantly being studied. The first children who got this vaccine were in Japan in the 70's and 80's and are still being tested to be sure they are immune. There are ongoing studies around the world looking at the immune response of children receiving this vaccine. If a booster dose is needed, those guidelines will be put into place.

I think actually the greater danger in contracting adult chicken pox is not to immunize. If you don't immunize and you live in a community with high vaccine rates, meaning most kids get the vaccine, there is not likely to be many outbreaks of chicken pox. Your child may make it through childhood without getting exposed. Then you have an adult with no immunity to chicken pox.

I would also add that chicken pox is far from a benign illness in children too. Aside from the obvious discomfort of itchy lesions, fever, mouth sores and the economic impact of mom or dad missing work for 10-14 days to take care of the child who can't attend daycare or school, it can have serious complications in perfectly healthy children. Chicken pox is associated with skin infections that can be extremely severe and life threatening (google chicken pox and group A strep bacteria). I have seen it happen, it is extremely scary and I guarantee that if you knew someone that it happened to, you would be first in line for the vaccine.
My humble .02 only.

[momofmng]

Avoel... Thanks for opening my eyes to the physicians point of view... 10 years ago several of my friends organized chicken pox parties to expose all of our children to chicken pox at the same time. I am not hearing much on that anymore, so maybe that IS because the trend is to now immunize and my daughter may not get exposed if that is the case and all her buddies are immunized, which would lead to adult disease which I definitely don't want to have happen.

I am not against immunizations... my fear was only as you mentioned... that she would be immune as a child and then the immunity would "wear off" as she grows older. I guess since it is relatively "new" and not yet shown whether it lasts, that is what has me scared.

While my older children had an easy time with the chicken pox and at the time almost seemed a right of passage in childhood, I am realizing that things have changed in the dozen years since my first two children were babies.

Thanks for everybody's insights! I will discuss it further with my pediatrician next week when Sophia goes in for her 9 month checkup.

Sarah

[mamir]

Hey Sarah:

I had this discussion with Justin's ped. the other day at his 18 month well baby visit and I will vaccinate, but will wait until he's ready to enter pre-school. Right now, he's not exposed to many children, but once he's ready for pre-school and will be exposed to alot of children, I will get him the vaccine. I've never had the chickenpox myself, but have been exposed many times, so I must have immunity to it, but don't want to take that chance once Justin is with a lot of children on a daily basis and his risk of getting them goes up considerably.

Marie