Chicken Pox Vaccine Shedding questions

[mommyto3girls]

Without telling us, my dsd's mom got her the varicella vax yesterday (at her 4 year well check, we had no idea-thought it was at 5, so we never discussed it with her)

Maia and Sage are not vax'd at all, I would love for them to get CP but if they by chance got CP from her would it actually provide them with immunity since it is not wild chicken pox?

Also, I have chronic Epstien Barr Disease (high active levels right now) I remember reading about the varicella vax shedding and causing issues for people with Epstien Barr. Anyone have any info to shed on it?

[Ophelia]

I wish I could answer your questions thoroughly. I can tell you that my understanding is the vaccine can shed (how often this happens, don't know. I'll see if I have anything bookmarked) but if someone does catch CP from someone recently vaccinated, it's no different for them than if they would have caught the virus naturally. That is my understanding anyways.

Have you had CP yourself, or had titers tested?

http://www.merck.com/product/usa/pi_...varivax_pi.pdf

Post-marketing experience suggests that transmission of vaccine virus may occur rarely between healthy vaccinees who develop a varicella-like rash and healthy susceptible contacts. Transmission of vaccine virus from vaccinees without a varicella-like rash has been reported but has not been confirmed.
Therefore, vaccine recipients should attempt to avoid, whenever possible, close association with susceptible high-risk individuals for up to six weeks. In circumstances where contact with high-risk individuals is unavoidable, the potential risk of transmission of vaccine virus should be weighed against the risk of acquiring and transmitting natural varicella virus. ...

That doesn't help much, does it. Basically they are saying 'we don't really know and it hasn't been studied'.

[MissRubyandKen]

I remember reading in the package insert that during the clinical trial some household contacts did contract symptoms of chickenpox, but showed no immunity to the virus. So it is possible. I was looking for this info specifically because my ds contracted chickenpox symptoms after having the shot (even though I said no) and my dd caught it from him. I honestly thought they had contracted it naturally until I checked his shot record and saw they snuck it in. Lesson learned. While it is possible they did contract it naturally, I seriously doubt it. The timing is just too much of a coincedence for me to believe other than he got it from the shot. I have no idea if my children have immunity from this or not, it presented pretty mildly, I'd say, for both of them.

[Gitti]

www.insidevaccines.com has a lot about cp shedding.

[Ophelia]

Originally Posted by Gitti

www.insidevaccines.com has a lot about cp shedding.

where, exactly? that was the first place I checked and all I could find was talking about the vax itself and shingles. I must have missed it!

[spero]

From what I understand the CP vax sheds mainly in the stool. If she's potty trained and wiping herself and washing her hands well after using the bathroom, I wouldn't worry too much.

[Deborah]

http://insidevaccines.com/wordpress/...cine-shedding/

the article about vaccine shedding

[mommyto3girls]

Thanks, i had read that one.

I am interested if anyone knew anything about the shedding affecting a person with Epstien Barr (since it is part of the herpes family like chicken pox and shingles) . I am sure I had read it, but can't find it now.