Why vaccinate against chickenpox?

[buggie]

Nearly asked this on the MMR thread but then realised it would either send it off at a tangent or be ignored!

As a paeds nurse I've seen a few cases of "when chickenpox go bad" but literally no more than the fingers of one hand over 10yrs and all of which made good recoverys and wouldn't make me leap to pay for a vaccination for the bugglet.

I find it especially surprising to see that some who worry about giving the regular immunisations are then seeming happy to consider giving/give their child this.

IIRC chickenpox immunity is something that's checked on the first set of blood tests you have when pregnant - I could imagine it being useful to check this pre-conception (fate allowing) and then having the jab, but can't understand why giving it to a baby/young child is beneficial...

[samstopit]

Neither can I. Mine have both had it (chickenpox that is, not the jab) it was pretty awful for a few days but I was glad to get it out of the way.

[anna_r]

We had our 2 year old daughter vaccinated against chicken pox just before christmas. It's a personal decision but these were our reasons:

a) It is routinely done in the US, Canada, Japan, South Africa etc and my husband is American so we have heard a lot about it being done over there. 41 of the 50 states require immunisation for children going to government run schools

b) with a new baby in the house I was worried that having two children with chicken pox at once would be difficult and perhaps dangerous for the baby (at that time 4 months old)

c) I had chicken pox quite badly as a child and still have some scars today

d) Lower down the list but still a consideration - taking time off work to look after her would have been difficult and might have meant I have to use up my few holiday days which we need to go and visit the inlaws abroad so they can see their grandchildren

We went to a clinic on Harley Street recommended on the forum and it was incredibly quick, easy. Daughter didn't make a peep while having it done and there were absolutely no after effects.

[ClareC]

Is the vaccine as effective / beneficial as actually catching the virus?

[Donkey]

Anna-r what was the name of the Harley St clinic? I'd like to get my two vaccinated for all the same reasons..

[anna_r]

From NHS website:

9 out of 10 children vaccinated with a single dose will develop immunity against chickenpox

http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/varicella-vaccine/Pages/Introduction.aspx

I'm not sure what the figure is for later immunity if you catch the disease naturally.

Some arguments here:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/8557236.stm

[anna_r]

We went here:

http://www.childrensimmunisation.com/index.htm

?95 for the jab plus ?50 registration I think

[Sanne Panne]

I was heavily pregnant with #2 when we decided to vaccinate our then 21 month old - knowing that it's a routine vaccination in the US, Canada etc (and mostly a cost decision of the NHS not to do it here) I thought it would be nice (indeed, not essential, but I think there's nothing wrong with "nice" if the jab is just as good as catching the disease) to save my toddler the discomfort of getting chickenpox and us the worry of possibly having to deal with an unwell toddler right before or after the birth of a new baby which is an intense enough event as it is. Our eldest has been directly exposed to chicken pox at least three times since her jab and hasn't caught it.

[Sanne Panne]

(we went to the same clinic as anna_r but there's also one at Victoria station, they advocate giving two jabs though, roughly same cost)

[Fuschia]

Someone told me if you have had CP you then pass immunity on while you're breastfeeding, orotecting the baby (worked for me for DS1!) but not if you have had the jab rather than CP instead. Not sure if that's true or not

[buggie]

Just to reassure, I've never seen babies in A&E with complications from chickenpox, I've heard if mums being keen fir them to have it early as they don't scratch as much = less scarring.

One of my best friends has a 2.5yr & 2 mths, the 2.5yr has it at the moment but the baby hasn't been affected - my guess is that it's due to a 2mth old not being so exciting a playmate so unlikely to be in line of fire for sneezes/being breathed on by the 2.5yr for long enough to pass the virus on.

Still unsure about the reasoning behind national immunisation campaigns in the countries mentioned... Could understand it being beneficial once teenage/adult if not had chickenpox as it does seem to affect adults more, but not seen anything to convince me yet.

[Fuschia]

http://www.nhs.uk/chq/Pages/1032.aspx?CategoryID=62&SubCategoryID=63

"The chickenpox vaccine is not part of the UK childhood vaccination programme, because experts think that introducing a chickenpox vaccination for children could increase the risk of shingles in older people"

[Fuschia]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/3643888/Chickenpox-vaccine-is-bad-for-children.html Against

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/8557236.stm For...

[Fuschia]

This says immunity from CP in babies is from placenta not bf

http://www.kellymom.com/health/meds/vaccine-protection.html

[SummerMum]

I understand that there may be some link to having had the chicken pox immunisation and a greater chance of getting shingles in adulthood. I read this in an interview with the very clever chap who created the immunisation, however, my personal experience is... first two children were either born or lived in US, where it is almost impossible to avoid the immunisation, so we did what we were advised and had them immunised. No problems.

Our third child was born and has always lived here in London. He got chicken pox at around two years. I was so chilled out about it. He was pretty ill with it, although no more than I think is normal with a 'bad case', however, as a result of the fever he had a febrile convulsion, which was (although completely 'normal' I know!) completely terrifying, while it was happening we felt completely unable do anything, wonderful paramedics and a long day spent in A&E.

I don't know if I would have done it any differently, but I guess my story would be that although our little one recovered as would be expected from chicken pox/febrile convulsion, just but to watch the fever if they get it, and to use calpol etc to keep it under control! I think I was probably just too relaxed about 'it's just chicken pox!'

[nicolemodesti]

Australia also immunise against chicken pox as I discovered recently when my son caught it and my nephew had been vaccinated over there! My GP had advised against it here and I didn't look into it any further. Wish I had as my son had it badly!

[Curmudgeon]

Vaccines don't give lifelong immunity

I think a mild disease like chickenpox is best if caught early in life rather than later - porridge oat baths do the trick

[nunheadmum]

Buggie - got to factor in that you don't get CP till 10-21 days incubation after exposure, so if 2.5 yr old was exposed e.g. at nursery, playgroup etc, baby may develop it after older sibling. My eldest had it this week - just waiting for youngest to come down with it ....almost at ten days and watching!

[The Nappy Lady]

We are on day 19 of 'CP Watch' for my youngest, who spent two days at childminders with a little girl during the pre spots, highly contagious phase. No signs yet, but will be glad if it does come out as I would really like to get it over and done with. Will be astounded if she doesn't get it given the level of exposure.

My friends little girl got her first spot on day 20 so there is still time.

Hmmm.

[ClareC]

Soes anyone know how long the vaccine lasts?

[cactus]

I'm tempted to have my 6 year old vaccinated, he's been exposed to

chickenpox on at least three occasions but has never caught it, unless he had such a mild dose

that none of us noticed!

I managed to avoid it as a child, but finally caught it at university when I was about 23,

I was horribly ill for a week, completely flattened with flu like symptoms and almost missed my

final exams because of it.

[civilservant]

Anecdotal evidence - interested to hear if this is borne out by research - is that the earlier you have chicken pox the easier it is to bear. So adults have a terrible time, but babies get over it fairly quickly.

My LO has had chicken pox twice (and one of the carers at her nusrery said that she'd had it three times!)

LO had bad eczema when she was little and I worried about whether she would be extra itchy when ill with the chicken pox, especially as advised not to use steroid creams while she was ill. But it turned out that her usual emollients (Diprobase and oIlatum) kept her skin comfortable enough to stop her itching very much at all

[Moos]

At what age is it 'OK' to get chicken pox? I assume I should do everything I can to avoid Twosling (<4 months) getting it? If it weren't for him, I wouldn't worry if Moosling (3.5) does.

[BeccaL]

Am I right in thinking that vaccination post exposure but pre spots reduces severity. Saw niece last Mon, she got CP on fri. Less worried re daughter than husband who hasn't had CP...

[The Nappy Lady]

Moos - if you've had CP, and are breastfeeding then my understanding is that it is very unlikely that Twosling will get it, or if so it should be extremely mild (which can mean they catch it again at some point). I know quite a lot of instances of the toddler getting it but the newborn not in this circumstance.

BeccaL - personally I think your hubby should get vacinated, because even if your daughter doesn't catch the pox this time around she is bound to at some point so better for you as a family if your hubby isn't running this risk, based on all the evidence of it being much worse if you catch it as an adult.