We were on the news for our pox party yesterday!

[essnce629]

My son came down with chickenpox on Wednesday and we had a pox party at our house yesterday.

Here's the article and whole video from yesterday's pox party.

Moms Shun Vaccine, Opt for Chicken Pox Parties
http://www.charlottesvillenewsplex.t.../40873147.html

[kiara7]

Awesome! I hope everyone had fun!

I love the last line of the report though:

For more information on the dangers your kids face from the Chicken Pox, and to learn more about the Chicken Pox vaccine, go to http://www.vdh.virginia.gov/Epidemio...Chickenpox.htm.

[Marnica]

Looked like fun!

I loved when the news guy said that the CDC says th\is vaccine is 100% safe for all children.... and that DPH MD spouts out tha same old party line about WHy the vaccicne was created. I thought it was created to make a S....load of money no?

[Crazybean]

Love it! I love how your son even said that you gave him a smoothie with Vit C in it.. just 100% plain awesome!

[MamatoPeach]

I'm jealous, I hope I can find a pox party someday! How did you network about it?

[Claire and Boys]

Experts say before the vaccine, thousands of children were hospitalized and hundreds more nationwide died each year from the Chicken Pox.

[Magali]

It's cool that you were in the news, and I really am down with chickenpox parties and hope I can find one for my ds when he is older.

[Sileree]

Experts say before the vaccine, thousands of children were hospitalized and hundreds more nationwide died each year from the Chicken Pox.

: There were 100 deaths a year pre-vaccine and 30-40 were in children.

[Ophelia]

Originally Posted by Marnica

Looked like fun!

I loved when the news guy said that the CDC says this vaccine is 100% safe for all children

I know, my jaw dropped when they said that! Nothing is 100% except death and taxes! I can't believe they said that. It sounds like they got it straight from the CDC too.

[elm721]

I'm a new mom and I have been deliberating the vaccine issue like all new moms out there. At first I was opposed to the CP vaccine because when we had CP as kids it was not considered a big deal. But I am also a nurse and I have seen the lasting effects from shingles and even death from the varicella virus invading the brain. So how do I reconcile what I believe to be an uneccessary vaccine with also wanting to protect my baby from possible effects later in life? :

[Deborah]

And of those 30-40, how many were treated with fever-suppressing drugs and how many were on steroids? These being the two main causes of death from CP.

In Japan, where the CP vaccine was originally developed, they ingeniously gave the vaccine only to children who were in severe danger of adverse effects from coming down with CP. Because the vaxed children were regularly exposed to circulating CP, their immunity kept getting boosted and the vaccine provided long-lasting immunity.

Now, here is the exciting bit. The U.S. saw that the Japanese were getting long-lasting immunity from the vaccine and thought (do they think?) that in the U.S. they could vax everyone and still get long-lasting immunity.

How many people have heard that children now need BOOSTER shots for CP? Isn't that a surprise. They said that one shot would do it.

[anewmama]

It would be interesting to know what really was the motivation for CP vax. Dr. Gordon presented a convincing argument that here, too, the vax was reserved for children for whom CP would cause alot of problems, including death. but there wasn't enough money in it so it for such a small subset of children and they were going to stop manufacturing it. So they came to the CDC and said either make it mandatory for all, or they would stop making it. Wonder how it really was decided.

[Deborah]

I've got a great idea.

How about forming a non-profit organization which manufactures small quantities of specialized drugs and vaccines for narrow slices of the population which really need them?

Then we can tell the drug companies to shove their mass dosing profit insanity where it will do them some good.

Whoops! I have a feeling I said something rude.

[knowerofnada]

Originally Posted by elm721

I'm a new mom and I have been deliberating the vaccine issue like all new moms out there. At first I was opposed to the CP vaccine because when we had CP as kids it was not considered a big deal. But I am also a nurse and I have seen the lasting effects from shingles and even death from the varicella virus invading the brain. So how do I reconcile what I believe to be an uneccessary vaccine with also wanting to protect my baby from possible effects later in life? :

By realizing you have more to be concerned with in regards to injecting foreign toxins into your child, than with the chicken pox and shingles. I work in a hospital and I see patients with shingles, too. It doesn't make me want to inject unnatural crap into my child's body, or even cause me to waiver for one single second about it.

ETA Great coverage re: the pox party, OP! I left a comment, bu I just love how they have to be pre-approved. Interesting. Made a snide little remark about the plug at the end of the article.

[just_lily]

Since the CP vax has been introduced, children are actually coming down with shingles.

[basat]

Another Pox Party in the area?

We just moved to MD in the DC area, started searching for a pox party, and found you a day too late! If any of your pox partygoers get the chicken pox, and would be willing to conduct another party, could you let us know? I posted my initial search on a local listserve, and there were a few other families here looking for the same thing. Murphy's Law, though. My daughter's 4th birthday is coming up on the 18th, and I be bummed to get her sick right in time for it...

Thank you!

[Tilia]

awesome!

[nwmamas]

I'm actually totally against the vax *because* of shingles. That stuff scares me. And now that the vax is out there, I'm in far greater danger of contracting it. As are my kids if I expose them to CP. Grrrr. We're not vaxing, but I do go back and forth on exposing them knowing continual "boosters" will be harder and harder to come by.

However, I would LOVE to see pox parties on the local news. Congrats, Connor. Thank God you got some press that wasn't completely alienating, even if it did contain some significant factual errors. Connor sure looks like he could have used a heavy dose of toxins so that he could avoid the suffering of playing with kids and drinking smoothies all day. Maybe it'll even get some local parents thinking.

[Deborah]

explanation of why the chickenpox vaccine increases the rate of shingles: http://insidevaccines.com/wordpress/...-sure-why-not/

[elm721]

Thanks Deborah for providing some factual information.