chickenpox lollipops?

[applepansy]

The idea is your kid gets exposed now and gets sick now for a little while instead of seriously ill or dead later. Children handle chicken pox a lot better than adults do. It's like how a long time ago people would go out of their way to infect people with cow pox because it wasn't lethal and it was close enough that once you'd had it that it provided an advantage against small pox (which was lethal). The idea is less virulent disease now over more virulent disease later.

Apparently there is a vaccine for chicken pox, but I'll be honest I didn't know there was, and I suspect most of those of the "Let's get'em infected now instead of dead later" thinking are unaware of it. According to the article there vaccine may be less effective then full blown infection and recovery but I doubt people are actually reviewing the medical literature and then making a decision. I suspect in a sense it's tradition from before the availability of the vaccine.

I understand the reasons. But there are other issues with chicken pox. If you haven't has chicken pox you won't ever get shingles for one simple example.

[applepansy]

When my kids got chickenpox and when the neighbor volunteered to watch them, there was no vaccine for chickenpox. My kids were in a daycare center normally. Out of 175 kids that were cared for there, almsost 140 came down with chickenpox in a one months time. It spread like wildfire through the daycare center.

Of course my 3 kids couldn't get it all at the same time. It was one at a time. First one, 2 weeks later the next and 2 weeks later the next. Didn't they realize how inconvenient that was? haha

Chicken Pox has a 14 to 21 day gestation period. That means you won't know they have been exposed for at least two weeks before they start showing symptoms. Chicken pox is very contagious. I"m not surprised that so many at the day care got sick. All it takes is one child to expose the rest.

[sister_in_faith]

I've never had chicken pox, and it scares the dickens out of me! I understand that having it as an adult bites big time. I am NOT interested in catching it.

[pam]

I've never had chicken pox, and it scares the dickens out of me! I understand that having it as an adult bites big time. I am NOT interested in catching it.

Chicken

[Dravin]

Chicken

A pox on you I say!

[pam]

There are now facebook pages for this subject.

Chicken pox-tainted lollipops found for sale on Facebook | ksl.com

[confuzzled]

Just for every ones info......

Yes there is a vaccine it is called Varicella. It is a two series shot. The first is "suggested' at 12 mo. and the 2nd at age 4 or 5. However children can still get the chicken pox if they get vaccinated .... however it is "usually" fairly mild. IF the child get the chicken pox before the 2nd vaccine is given they do not need the 2nd vaccine. http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/pubs/vis/downloads/vis-varicella.pdf

Also there is a vaccine for Shingles which "is caused by the Varicella Zostervirus, the same virus that causes chickenpox"

http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/pubs/vis/downloads/vis-shingles.pdf

[miztrniceguy]

eeewwwwwwwwwww......yuck!

[miztrniceguy]

Don't let Vort get to you.

Has he gotten to you, Pammie?

[miztrniceguy]

Shingles are not fun! I had the pox 2 times as a kid, once as an infant, then again about 10. And 2 outbreaks of shingles.

[Blackmarch]

Scary.

[Ardell89104]

Evil Doctors

[marshac]

Evil Doctors

Evil? Why?

[MarginOfError]

Evil? Why?

Clearly, the doctors are evil for secretly putting chicken pox on the suckers they give out after kids come to visit.