Chicken Pox Parties

[Anonymous]

I remember being in 3rd grade and going to a chicken pox sleepever. There were about four girls who had never had chicken pox spending the night at a girl who had them. I never go the chicken pox (and never have) - so my parents tried to expose me.

Haven't heard about it "these days" though... this would've been in the early 80's.

[Anonymous]

Kind of off topic -- To the 14:07 poster who seems very knowledgable...my younger brother contracted chicken pox as a kid and he gave it to my older sister and older brother. I never got it. I show no antibodies to it either. Doctors can't explain it. Any idea?

[Anonymous]

I found the following article on Baby Center. It quotes the CDC and AAP. For those of you interested in this whole debate about chicken pox vaccines and parties, please read on...

http://www.babycenter.com/404_is-it-true-that-children-are-better-off-getting-chicken-pox_10303159.bc

This article is from a pediatrician (and one of its points is: 1 in 1,000 who contract chicken pox will develop complications such as severe pneumonia or a brain infection called encephalitis, and about 50 will die.)

http://www.babycenter.com/404_isnt-my-child-better-off-getting-chicken-pox-than-getting-th_11455.bc

[Anonymous]

I'm in public health. Most adults who get shingles had chicken pox as a child. There are a whole host of reasons for that. Having chicken pox will not prevent shingles. Neither will a vaccine.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Shingles is on the rise in adults, probably due to the vaccine. Continued exposure to the disease seems to strengthen the immune system against the virus, but with fewer kids having it, more adults are catching shingles.

In addition, shingles is a possible side effect of the vaccine.

http://www.springerlink.com/content/g15580j564817406/

The point about the continuous exposure does is not supported by this article, which is an epidemiological computer simulation. If the vaccine has a weakness, it's that the protective effect wanes later in life, potentially raising the number of cases of shingles. But the vaccine was only made available in 1995, so adults aren't affected by it.

[Anonymous]

14:41 - You're right. This is a much better article.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12057605

It's a well-known medical fact that exposure to the varicella vaccine boosts immunity and helps prevent shingles.

[Anonymous]

t's a well-known medical fact that exposure to the varicella vaccine boosts immunity and helps prevent shingles.

Correction: exposure to the wild varicella virus.

[Anonymous]

I had a pretty severe case of chicken pox as a toddler. I had them on every inch of my body, in my mouth, my ears and my Mom tied socks on my hands to stop the incessant itching and keep me from scarring my face. It was a completely miserable experience for both of us. I'll take my chances with the vaccine.

You can get shingles whether you've had`the chicken pox virus or the vaccine, unfortunately.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I had a pretty severe case of chicken pox as a toddler. I had them on every inch of my body, in my mouth, my ears and my Mom tied socks on my hands to stop the incessant itching and keep me from scarring my face. It was a completely miserable experience for both of us. I'll take my chances with the vaccine.

You can get shingles whether you've had`the chicken pox virus or the vaccine, unfortunately.

This is the kind of experience people should think about when weighing whether or not to get the vaccine, not whether their DC will get brain damage or die.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Kind of off topic -- To the 14:07 poster who seems very knowledgable...my younger brother contracted chicken pox as a kid and he gave it to my older sister and older brother. I never got it. I show no antibodies to it either. Doctors can't explain it. Any idea?

I'm the same way -- was exposed numerous times, including by a roommate in college, never got it, bloodwork shows no antibodies. I got the vaccine about ten years ago. You might want to consider the same.

[Anonymous]

I'm the same way -- was exposed numerous times, including by a roommate in college, never got it, bloodwork shows no antibodies. I got the vaccine about ten years ago. You might want to consider the same.

I'm curious - does your bloodwork now show antibodies following the vaccine? I would think if you didn't respond to the wild-type virus you wouldn't respond to the vaccine. But maybe I'm missing something.

If I had reached adulthood without contracting the wild virus, I would definitely get the vaccine. Personally I don't think it makes much sense for kids, though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

I'm the same way -- was exposed numerous times, including by a roommate in college, never got it, bloodwork shows no antibodies. I got the vaccine about ten years ago. You might want to consider the same.

I'm curious - does your bloodwork now show antibodies following the vaccine? I would think if you didn't respond to the wild-type virus you wouldn't respond to the vaccine. But maybe I'm missing something.

If I had reached adulthood without contracting the wild virus, I would definitely get the vaccine. Personally I don't think it makes much sense for kids, though.

I'm not 100% certain, but I believe my OB said my bloodwork suggested immunity to all of the diseases dangerous to pg women, so I assume cp was included. I'm obviously no immunologist, but I assume that my exposure as a child and teeanger -- through play and living in the same house (although not sharing a bathroom with) with infected people -- simply wasn't significant enough to produce a response; having the virus injected directly into my body is a different type of exposure, right?

[Anonymous]

PP here, and worth noting that I'm an only child, so I never lived as a child with another child who had cp.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm in public health. Most adults who get shingles had chicken pox as a child. There are a whole host of reasons for that. Having chicken pox will not prevent shingles. Neither will a vaccine.

What about hives?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm in public health. Most adults who get shingles had chicken pox as a child. There are a whole host of reasons for that. Having chicken pox will not prevent shingles. Neither will a vaccine.

What about hives?

What about them? I'm sorry, I'm unclear about what you mean.