Chicken pox

[vewainwright]

Just a basic question. Can I spread them if my son has it? Or does someone have to come into direct contact with him?

[KimberlyD0]

Well if your with him then your exposed to it, so it would be on you. I don't believe it would the same as being with him directly, but there would be some risk.

[jmslee123]

Well first of all it's always good to get chicken pox at an early age that way once you get them once.The main benefit of the chickenpox vaccine to individuals is long-lasting immunity to chickenpox.All other common vaccines require a booster dose to maintain immunity.Its highly unlikely to get them again. and I remember when I was younger and had the chicken pox my mom and all the other parents brought their children to come over to my house as a little play date so they would all get the chicken pox.

[poppan]

Chicken pox is spread by airborne particles (usually from the infected person coughing or sneezing) or by contact with the fluid in the blisters (even indirectly like if you got the fluid on a towel and then someone touches the fluid on the towel). So I think it'd be pretty hard for you to spread it, but it wouldn't be impossible -- you could get some blister fluid on your clothing and someone could touch it?

[amnesiac]

moved to H&H since this is about an illness rather than a vaccine.

[serenbat]

we were exposed yesterday-please do not email I will post if we get them
IF is the big issue for us because I had a hard time getting them myself and don't know how hard this will be for our DS- so we will wait- I got them at 28 days so we have a long wait------ but am in need of help!

Need some help---- has anyone gotten it via just the pops? IF so, how did you wrap them to ship--wax paper? just putting them in a paper cup and covering the top? what is the best way????

if you got them via a tee- just put them in a ziplock type bag? how did this work?????? really looking to the best way to share?

besides the pops and tees

I really am leaning toward the playdate (close interaction) as the BEST but know that not all can do that!!

[KimPM]

Originally Posted by jmslee123

Well first of all it's always good to get chicken pox at an early age that way once you get them once.The main benefit of the chickenpox vaccine to individuals is long-lasting immunity to chickenpox.All other common vaccines require a booster dose to maintain immunity.Its highly unlikely to get them again. and I remember when I was younger and had the chicken pox my mom and all the other parents brought their children to come over to my house as a little play date so they would all get the chicken pox.

Actually, they don't really know how long the cpox vaccine gives immunity. It hasn't been around long enough to determine this.

[serenbat]

I have read the Japanese have being using the vac for 30 years and they have shown so far at least 20 years immunity-have not been able to find studies that show more-

http://www.nytimes.com/1987/12/22/sc...2?pagewanted=2

http://www.thestar.com.my/health/sto...ealth/21308690

[poppan]

Originally Posted by KimPM

Actually, they don't really know how long the cpox vaccine gives immunity. It hasn't been around long enough to determine this.

I thought I had heard something about kids who had been vax'd getting ch pox in their late teens because the immunity faded... and that they had gotten worse cases because they were older. And then the government started talking about booster shots.

[serenbat]

I worry that the real issue will effects females, this really is the first mass vaced group, when they hit childbearing unless they start doing testing (like they do rubella) how are they to know how good their immunity is? won't it really start to show up then-- there is a problem?

right now it's not routine for the testing you pay out of pocket unless you can prove a need for it and again, how great are titers tests??

[KimPM]

Originally Posted by serenbat

I have read the Japanese have being using the vac for 30 years and they have shown so far at least 20 years immunity-have not been able to find studies that show more-

http://www.nytimes.com/1987/12/22/sc...2?pagewanted=2

http://www.thestar.com.my/health/sto...ealth/21308690

According to the first news article, the Japanese study claims immunity last at least 10 years. I did not track down the actual Japanese study to confirm. And this same news article also brings up this point: "But now scientists and Federal regulators are asking whether the vaccine should be used at all in healthy children. Some experts say that using the vaccine may be worse than doing nothing to fight this childhood disease because they cannot say whether the immunity will last into adulthood. "

The news article in the second link states "It is reported from Japan that immunity lasts for at least 10 to 20 years." This article also states that the "optimal" age for getting the vaccine is between 1-2 years of age. So, 10-20 years out only gives "immunity" up to the ages of 11-22, according to these recommendations, and what they think so far with data from one study. That's far from evidence of long-lasting immunity. They just don't have data further than that.