Chicken Pox Parties

[Manny]

Even if this guy's study turns out to be accurate? Short version: chickenpox vaccinations will lead to increased cases of the more-deadly shingles because natural immunity to shingles is increased by exposure to chickenpox patients and there is no possibility of herd immunity because the vaccine decreases in effectiveness in the absense of exposure of the vaccinated to the real thing.

For the record, I have no idea whether this guy is a quack or if the International Journal of Toxicology is a real medical journal or Weekly World News for woos. I just found it websearching and don't vouch for it. I introduce it because "even one child" may be saved at a cost of other children or adults without even going into things like cost-effectiveness.

 

[epepke]

While the idea of an organized chicken pox party is creepy as hell, I hafta come down on the side of catching the damn thing and getting it over with, not unlike puberty.

Deliberately exposing people to childhood diseases was quite common in the 1950s.

 

[Cat217]

When I was a child in the 1960's, our parents did this as well. We suffered no ill effects, but back then I guess we had less stuff in our foods, cause we never saw the likes of a body like Brittney Spears till I was at least 18-19 ( there where the few farm kids that where big though)
Peace
=^..^=217

 

[ysabella]

I'm just waking this thread up because I keep reading of mothers wanting to have chicken pox parties.

They believe that the immunity conferred by having the disease is superior to the immunity conferred by having the vaccine. I'm trying to figure out whether there's any truth to that. Most of them do say that if their child doesn't get chicken pox by a certain age, they will have them vaccinated at that time, which makes sense.

But is catching it 'wild' really going to confer better immunity than the vaccine? Neither is 100% protective, after all.

 

[trvlr2]

Congrats Ysabella!(on popping the kid) Beats me where I've been!? Anyway, there seems to be conflicting information on CP. But it does seem that the younger, the better, if you are otherwise healthy.Also, some CP may not have been CP but measles. Without testing, can be hard to identify.
I do remember the CP and measles parties-got mumps much later-that was a total drag. Some of us got pox scars,some just got acne scars, later. Do what you think is best.Just know that almost all the older folks today,lived thru all of it.

 

[American]

One can speculate that acyclovir might be useful if taken at the earliest sign of shingles but no studies have been done to my knowledge.

I clearly recall reading last year that a shingles vaccine has been approved at some stage, in fact I believe it was for full-scale manufacturing and sale. (Perhaps it was only for testing, but I don't think so... and of course one would only get it if you've already had chickenpox. Don't know whether vaccinated folks would want it.)

I will poke around the internet and find out.

 

[Apollyon]

I'm just waking this thread up because I keep reading of mothers wanting to have chicken pox parties.

They believe that the immunity conferred by having the disease is superior to the immunity conferred by having the vaccine. I'm trying to figure out whether there's any truth to that. Most of them do say that if their child doesn't get chicken pox by a certain age, they will have them vaccinated at that time, which makes sense.

But is catching it 'wild' really going to confer better immunity than the vaccine? Neither is 100% protective, after all.

That's an interesting question. I did some searching on the subject and found:

http://www.mothering.com/discussions/archive/index.php/t-393220.html

A post by a member named LilithX has a copious amount of links on the subject and some diverse findings.

 

[kittynh]

I went for the vaccine, because to get shingles later on is very painful, miserable, and even dangerous.

 

[The Mutha]

My daughter had CP twice as well. The first time didn't "take" because it was such a mild case. The second time wasn't much either, but apparently the immunity "took". I was pretty trepidatious when The Dolly came down with CP given that I never appeared to have had it as a child. My entire family had it at once -- Dad (shingles, oy!), two older sisters and little brother. Mom and I were the nurses, so I guess I could have had a very mild case as well, who knows...

The worst was The Little Brother -- he had broken his arm two weeks before and the hard cast had to come off. He went with a sling for the remaining time and I know that hurt.