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Do you or will you intentionally expose your nonvaxed DC to chicken pox?

post #1 of 21
Thread Starter 

I am curious if everyone intentionally exposes their nonvaxed DC to chicken pox? I hear so much talk about it. I have not done much research on the topic. I would love to hear why you do or do not (will or will not) expose your DC? If you do/will expose them, at what age?

 

Just looking for some info. Thanks.

post #2 of 21

I would consider intentional exposure when my DS is a bit older and better able to articulate how he feesl (he only 2.5 now), however situations come around so infrequently that if I had the chance tomorrow I may consider it.

 

 

I would much rather have my DS have natural immunity. If he doesn't get it by the time he is an adult, he can decide about the vaccine for himself. I had CP as an adult (well I was 18) and while it was unpleasant, I'm fine and needed no intervention, so I'd be inclined to advise him to forgo the vaccine, but ultimately as an adult, it would be up to him.

post #3 of 21
Thread Starter 



Thank you for your response. You brought up some great thoughts on the vaccine as an adult!

Quote:
Originally Posted by Marnica View Post

I would consider intentional exposure when my DS is a bit older and better able to articulate how he feesl (he only 2.5 now), however situations come around so infrequently that if I had the chance tomorrow I may consider it.

 

 

I would much rather have my DS have natural immunity. If he doesn't get it by the time he is an adult, he can decide about the vaccine for himself. I had CP as an adult (well I was 18) and while it was unpleasant, I'm fine and needed no intervention, so I'd be inclined to advise him to forgo the vaccine, but ultimately as an adult, it would be up to him.

post #4 of 21

I have and will expose my children to the chicken pox.  One was vaccinated at whenever kids get that vaccine, but I exposed him anyway in hopes that he'd get it.  I went to a friend's house with 3 of my children for our pox party and at day 6, two children had weird whelps on their abdomen that went away and then at day 14, one of them got the chicken pox.  I took pictures for proof of immunity.    Now, I have a 2yo and when he gets closer to 3, I will be looking for pox again.  I did it mainly so that they could get it when it was convenient for all of us (spring-time) and get it over with young so that they wouldn't get it when they were older.

post #5 of 21

I haven't mainly because I either had a new new baby when I felt they were old enough or just found out I was pg. I'm hoping to get it over with once for all the kids so I'd *like* to wait until this baby is old enough and expose them all. Having said that like a pp if I actually found myself with the option I might change my "plan"

post #6 of 21

I have twice (same strain), but neither time took.  I will keep on exposing them until we have a full blown case.  I would much rather them develop real immunity instead of being vaccinated, which has proven to not provide long lasting immunity.

post #7 of 21

She was exposed but not intentionally by me, I didn't take her to a pox party or anything. Not that I'm against them, she just got exposed from the kids in the neighborhood. She never got CP though in the end.

post #8 of 21

I guess I did when DD was an infant, when I (foolishly) got DS the varicella vax at age 4.  But she's almost 2 and I will try to expose her if it comes around, but not search for pox parties specifically.

post #9 of 21

For me, I'm not sure yet.  (My two are 27 months and almost 11 months.)  I do very much want for them to have natural immunity if at all possible.  My cousin had the shots, but then got chicken pox anyways in 8th grade.  Also, my mom was an ICU nurse and the sickest person she ever saw, including all the various patients who had just had heart surgery, was a young woman in her mid twenties who had the chicken pox; she was on a ventilator and almost died.  She also saw many other bad cases in adults. I know her experience is primarily anecdotal, but I do think chicken pox gets worse with age, and I would prefer for my kids to get it as kids.

post #10 of 21

I have and will expose my children. I do not feel CP is dangerous in childhood, I think it is a disease that is best contracted in childhood, less severity, life complications, etc... Back when we were children, almost everyone had CP, it isn't a big deal. I want my children to have immunity to it so it does not cause problems as an adult. I exposed my two girls when they were 5 and 18m months because I had a chance. CP is rare around here, those were the first cases in people I somewhat knew since DD1 was a baby, that was 3 years ago and I have yet to hear of another case. I will DS (21m) whenever I get the chance. 

post #11 of 21

I did expose my older 3 last year, they played with friends who had the pox.  They were 5.5, 3.5 and 1.5 at the time and all 3 came down with them.

post #12 of 21

One we exposed to CP at age 2, because that's when we found it and it worked with our schedule. She had a very mild case, and has great antibodies. Natural immunity is found to be longer lasting than vax immunity. 

 

That said, the other child we couldn't find CP in the wild before he needed titers or vax for preschool (and I did not want to go through the waiver process over one vaccine that I'm not specifically opposed to, I'd just prefer it naturally), so he had the vax. He had no reaction to it whatsoever. However, he had an unintentional exposure a few months later, which was fine by me. (Sort of classic Murphy's law--find no pox, get vax, 3 months later get email from the church that someone had it unknowingly the week before). I hope to expose him to natural pox a few more times during childhood as well, to hopefully help his immunity, and we'll get him boosters or at the least titers at 10 and before he goes off to college. I would prefer for both kids to have good immunity to it when they are older, and be able to travel to England and non-CP-vaxxing-countries without worrying about their immunity to it. 

 

Everything else on the schedule both children got, on a slightly spread out schedule, but they were caught up by age 3. At 2, they were no more "dangerous to community health" than an 11.9 month old who hadn't yet had the 12 month old series of shots. And without CP vax or titers, they also weren't any more of a danger than your average tourist child from Norway, Denmark, or England, where CP is not part of the vaccine schedule.

 

Many European countries have debated and decided NOT to require CP vax, because of the problems it causes for public health. Less natural boosting of people's immunity from exposure in the general population has caused shingles in the US to become a problem for 30-40 year olds rather than 80-90 year olds. In countries that don't vax for CP routinely, it's still a disease of 80-90 year olds. 

post #13 of 21

My boys are older now-teenagers.  The shot came out when they were preschool age and it wasn't mandatory yet.  The doctor would ask if I wanted my boys to get it and I'd say no, because I was hoping they'd catch it on their own.  (this is before I learned health reasons not to give shots, etc)  But they didn't get it and two years later I gave in and said OK.  If I could do it again, and I found a way to expose them to it, I would for sure!  It's good for them to get it when they're young, that way they have lifetime immunity and won't have any chance of getting it when they're older.  I wished my boys would have got the chicken pox on their own, way back then.  Chicken pox isn't a big deal to get.  It's a pain, but they get over it just like they do colds and the flu.  Plus it's better to get it young before they're in school and have to be out, or miss whatever other activities they may be into as an older child.

post #14 of 21

I exposed mine. went to a pox party and the kiddo had a really good case, and every kid at the party got it! :D It was no big deal AT ALL. My kids were 3 and just turned 1. older one had a nice strong (but not what I'd call "severe".. just..thorough? lol) and the baby was pretty mild, but definitely had it. 

post #15 of 21

 We keep trying and we keep failing! My oldest is 11 and still has not gotten them and we have tried time and time again. They have just been had contact with pox again and even though baby is 9 months I feel comfortable with them all getting it right now. Some how I highly doubt it will happen simply because it has yet to happen. Chances are it will strike when we are least ready and not expecting it of course!

post #16 of 21

I've tried, and will probably try again when Junebaby is older.  I wouldn't want them to get it while I am pregnant or had a newborn... especially not on purpose.

post #17 of 21

I've tried twice, but it hasn't taken. I'm not sure when/if I'll try again. DD2 is still a little younger than I'd like her to be, but if it happens, it happens.

post #18 of 21

Both my children caught chicken pox at school (I don't think it's a popular vax in Japan, even though it was developed in Japan).  However, if they hadn't caught it and I heard of someone who had it, I would have tried to expose them.  

post #19 of 21

Nope

post #20 of 21

Would if I could find it~It seems so hard to "catch" now with vaccinations in full swing.  So-cal mamas keep me in mind with a pm for a pox play date.

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