What are your thoughts on the Chicken pox vaccine??

Denise - posted on 05/24/2012

I did not vaccinate my child against the chicken pox vaccine. Since no vaccine is 100% i fear him getting it when he is older and getting chicken pox / shingles as an adult which is far more worse than when you get it as a child. Also, I dislike the ingredients that are in the chicken pox vaccine. according to" the vaccine book" by Dr. sears which is NOT an anti vaccine book ..the vaccine includes the live virus, gelatin, MSG, residual components of human embryonic diploid cells and
trace amounts of cow fetus serum among others. for the fact that it is treatable ,common and not fatal I am ok with this decision. However, the schools here are making it mandatory which is now making my brain spin a little.

Deanna - posted on 09/09/2009

Quoting Becky:

Hi Tara - I have also been pondering this lately, my husband had it when he was little but I never had it (although my sister did), maybe I am just freakishly immune to it? I don't know what to do yet about my son because if he doesn't get vacc'd, then if he does get it when he is little, I will not be able to be near him when he has it since having CP as an adult can be extremely dangerous (and sometimes deadly to women if they are pregnant).

Becky why don't you look into getting the vaccine for yourself? It is safe and just as effective for adults. You might have them draw a titer (check your blood to see if you are immune) and if not you could get the vaccine. The vaccine for chickenpox isn't 100% effective but if you were to be vaccinated and contracted the illness you would likely get a very mild form of the disease. There is some info on the cdc  website http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p4202.pdf. It is not recommended for pregnant women or anyone who has a weak immune system.

FYI: My research into shingles has found that to date, those who have received the vaccine have a much lower incidence of shingles than those who actually had chickenpox over the same time period.

Michelle - posted on 09/09/2009

my son has one chicken pox vaccine at 12 months and another at 4 he's still alive .... baby will gets her at the same points

Tara - posted on 09/08/2009

Quoting Becky:

Hi Tara - I have also been pondering this lately, my husband had it when he was little but I never had it (although my sister did), maybe I am just freakishly immune to it? I don't know what to do yet about my son because if he doesn't get vacc'd, then if he does get it when he is little, I will not be able to be near him when he has it since having CP as an adult can be extremely dangerous (and sometimes deadly to women if they are pregnant).

Part of my decision to get it done for my son is to not infect those with low immune systems, including pregnant women. But also along with others. Do a little research on it, I found that helped me see the pros versus cons of it!!! All the best!

Becky - posted on 09/08/2009

Hi Tara - I have also been pondering this lately, my husband had it when he was little but I never had it (although my sister did), maybe I am just freakishly immune to it? I don't know what to do yet about my son because if he doesn't get vacc'd, then if he does get it when he is little, I will not be able to be near him when he has it since having CP as an adult can be extremely dangerous (and sometimes deadly to women if they are pregnant).

Tara - posted on 09/08/2009

Quoting Deanna:

In the states it is a required 2 dose vaccine for children (who have not had a documanted case) to be able to enter school and is required for some day cares. I got chickenpox as a child and it was so severe that I had to be hospitalized. I have scars on body including my face from the illness. (Not as bad as it sounds, but scars all the same) Generally speaking, chickenpox is a mild childhood illness, but prior to the vaccine approximately 100 people (adults and children) died in the US from chickenpox each year. In 2003-2004 six of the eight people who died of chickenpox in the states were not vaccinated. Severe reactions to the vaccine are extremely rare. It isn't possible to predict who will have a serious case or even a deadly one and who will have a mild case. I will vaccinate my daughter. No problem.

I did some more research on it and I do agree with what you wrote. Even if they get the vaccine they can still get it however it won't be a severe case but only very mild. There seems to be more to not getting vaccinated then to getting them vaccinated so I too have decided that is what I am going to do. There are more pro's then cons getting them vaccinated then not. 

Thank you to all for your input as I appreciate it :)

Deanna - posted on 09/08/2009

In the states it is a required 2 dose vaccine for children (who have not had a documanted case) to be able to enter school and is required for some day cares. I got chickenpox as a child and it was so severe that I had to be hospitalized. I have scars on body including my face from the illness. (Not as bad as it sounds, but scars all the same) Generally speaking, chickenpox is a mild childhood illness, but prior to the vaccine approximately 100 people (adults and children) died in the US from chickenpox each year. In 2003-2004 six of the eight people who died of chickenpox in the states were not vaccinated. Severe reactions to the vaccine are extremely rare. It isn't possible to predict who will have a serious case or even a deadly one and who will have a mild case. I will vaccinate my daughter. No problem.

Sarah - posted on 09/08/2009

I think it's a waste of time and completely unnecessary for most kids. My older daughter got the vaccine and then still got the chicken pox. Her doctor informed me that the vaccine doesn't really work anyway. We won't bother getting it for our 10 month old or any future children.

Tara - posted on 09/08/2009

Thank you ladies for your input! I see both sides for sure, that is why it's a hard decision for me. I too had it when I was young, about 9 yrs old and it wasn't bad at all. I just worry about him getting it as an adult as that can be very serious.

Fleur - posted on 09/08/2009

Quoting Denise:

In my opinion its silly. most kids end up with the chicken pox and it isnt too serious. I have heard the vaccine only last so long and you dont want to get the chicken pox as an adult because it can be a lot more serious. I figured my kids will get the chicken pox when it goes around and we will deal with it properly then. I had them as a kid.

Fleur

Kat - posted on 09/08/2009

I personally would vaccinate. Chicken Pox generally speaking is a mild illness, but what if your child got a severe dose of it? What if they got it when their immunity was already low from some other virus & couldn't fight it properly? What if your child came into contact with a pregnant person or a child that was already very ill & gave it to them? Sometimes we can spread the virus before knowing we have it. Anyway that's how I look at it. You have to go with what you believe is right for you & your child.

Denise - posted on 09/07/2009

In my opinion its silly. most kids end up with the chicken pox and it isnt too serious. I have heard the vaccine only last so long and you dont want to get the chicken pox as an adult because it can be a lot more serious. I figured my kids will get the chicken pox when it goes around and we will deal with it properly then. I had them as a kid.

Zojoho - posted on 09/07/2009

I have 3 children. Only 1 of them has had the C/Pox vaccination. My eldest DD (now 5.5 y.o.) had the c/pox vax when she was 12 mths and has never had any problems with it, nor has she caught the C/pox when it was doing the rounds.



My DS (now 4 y.o.) has never had the c/pox vax as he caught a severe dose of the c/pox when he was only 8 m.o. This meant that he had his own immunity to the illness therefore not needing to be vax'd.



My 2nd DD (now 11 m.o.) is obviously too young to have it atm, but when the time comes, she will be getting the c/pox vaccination. I do not want to see her go thru what my DS went thru. If I can help to prevent her from catching it, well that's what I'm going to do.



In Australia tho, the c/pox vaccination has changed from 12 mths => 18 mths.



Good luck with making your choice.