Chicken Pox vaccine?

Tracy - posted on 06/15/2010

please take advice ONLY from a physician! Every case is different, every child is different. Only a doctor that knows your case history and is aware of school regulations regarding immunizations can give you the BEST advice. Every immunization has a possible side effect, every disease could possibly cause great harm or worse cause death. Only you and your child's physician is qualified to answer your questions.

Iridescent - posted on 06/15/2010

Denise, with that type of reaction plus the fact that your son continually gets chicken pox repeatedly, have his immune factors been tested (IgA, IgE, IgD, IgG, IgM)? That's more a symptom of a very low or missing immune factor than anything else, and if that's the case, it can be monitored at a minimum plus the possible disorders they tend to lead to can be watched for.

Denise - posted on 06/15/2010

When my oldest son was a baby I took him in for shots. A week later he ended up haveing chicken pox, mumps measles, and rubella all at the same time!!! He had to be put on a bunch of meds and almost ended up in the hospital over the reaction. Because of this his doctor made recomendations in his medical record that he should not have the other shots that are required for him to go to school. In the following years since the shots were given (8 years) my son has has broken out with chicken pox 9 times. My youngest son has never had any type of reaction to the vaccines. Every child is different.

Sherri - posted on 06/15/2010

My kids all had it and never even had a reaction from it.

Vikki - posted on 06/15/2010

I agree with Brandy Brown. It is up to you whether you get it or not, but in our case too my daughter had the shot at great expense to us and still got it twice! At 18 mths and again at 6 years. The 18mths case was very severe and 6 yr case was mild, but she struggled with the scratching at 6- not so much at 18mths when it was worse. I don't personally think there is any guarantees with this particular vaccine.

Ryan - posted on 06/14/2010

I never had the Chicken Pox. When I was 18 and in the hospital having my first daughter they told me I was not immune to it. Before leaving the hospital I got the shot. Just cause I really didn't want the Chicken pox/ Shingles!

There are a few things to consider here. If your child does not get chicken pox and then later does get shingles, it can be deadly. Of course there is a LONG time before your child is an adult. So, that choice they can make themselves.

The other thing you need to consider is school. Some schools ( like my distric) require all children to have the vaccination. The child cannot enter school if they do not have an up to date chicken pox vaccine. I know not all schools require it, but more and more are adding it to the list.

Good luck.

Debbie - posted on 06/14/2010

Katarina, here is a website which will give you all the information you need to make an informed decision regarding immunisations. It will tell you what the vaccine is for, what the side effects are, and also give you the data sheet for each vaccine.
http://avn.org.au/Vaccination-Informatio...

I'm not sure what country your from, but here in Australia doctors are given kick backs for having a certain percentage of their patients fully immunised, so keep this in mind when asking them for advice on whether to get it or not.

I have always been very "pro" immunising children, but this site has really opened my eyes and changed the way I think. It's also made me realise that I have been bran washed by doctors and drug companies. I wish I had of found this before my first child was born. He has just turned 3 and is fully imminised. My second child has just turned 13 months - he had all his shots up to and including 6 months, but hasn't had his 12 month ones. At this stage, I think the only shots he'll be having in the future will be for whooping cough and polio.

Good luck making your decision.

Sherri - posted on 06/14/2010

Actually Emma I am not wrong it can make men sterile here is my source.

http://kidshealth.org/parent/infections/…

Emma - posted on 06/14/2010

Here in the UK I dont think there is a chicken pox vaccine. My older children have had chicken pox and they are both fine. Chicken pox doesnt make boys sterile its either measels or mumps that makes boys sterile if they get it as an adult.

Jennifer - posted on 06/14/2010

Sherri thanks for the info, I wasn't aware of that but I still don't think there's any need for the vaccine across the board. Over here in the UK the only people who get it are those in high risk categories the same with the flu jab.

Jessica - posted on 06/14/2010

We just had the chicken pox here. I had the chicken pox when I was younger, but my husband had never had them. Until this year. He also then gave it to my son, who was too young to get the vac. Me and my daughter didn't get it, but she was vaxed and I had it. It went fine here, but it could have been really bad news for my husband. If they don't get it as children, they can be really sick and even die from it. If those two hadn't gotten the chicken pox I would have given my son the vax.

Sherri - posted on 06/14/2010

Chicken pox can make a man infertile as well Jennifer.

Chickenpox can cause male infertility. High temperatures can damage sperm, but the sperm should recover in approximately three months. In addition, the virus can cause the testicles to become inflamed, which can cause sterility, but it is rare.

Chicken pox is now believed to be the cause of one third of stroke cases in children.

Jennifer - posted on 06/14/2010

I also live in the UK and over here they don't give a chicken pox vaccine.



Quoting Katarina Reandy:

"Don't children get vaccinated AGAINST measles and mumps?!? Aren't these serious as well?"



There's a huge difference between mumps and chicken pox. Mumps can make boys and men infertile!



When I saw on Circle of Mums that some countries have a chicken pox vaccine to be totally honest I thought someone was taking the p***! It's totally laughable to people from the UK because it's not a big deal over here. Plus the reason we don't give it over here is that it would only lead to higher rates of shingles in adults.

Sarah - posted on 06/14/2010

Well my 2 year old has chicken pox at the moment (we live in the UK so we don't vaccinate against it) and she's barely noticed it! She has lots of spots, but isn't scratching them, she's a little grumpy, but other than that, you wouldn't know she's sick!

I think the earlier you get it, the less severe it is.
My eldest had them around the same age, and she barely noticed either.

I've also had Shingles, I had them at 18, so again, I think because I was younger, it wasn't so bad.

It's your choice I guess, I'm certainly not anti vaccinations, my girls are up to date with ALL of theirs. I supposed as I'm from the UK where is not vaccinated against, I don't see the point as that's just a part of life here. (if that makes sense!)
:)

Shannen - posted on 06/13/2010

My children have had all their shots. Even though my daughter had chicken pox at 7 months she still got the shot at 18 months ( Australias schedule) Even though it is not a must have i chose to get it in the hopes that it may prevent it. I also have a 2 yr old son who has had them all as well. But i must confess the chicken pox shot is the only immunisation that my children have reacted to. for the few days after it both had runny noses and were just off in every way. But i never had a problem with any others.

Dana - posted on 06/13/2010

my son had the shot at a year old and is now 12 and have had no problems and I'm thankful for it becauseI don't have to worry when other kids get them. They say that the older the person is the worse it could be. My daughter had chicken pox at three months so I was all for not having to go through that again. I think it's just your personal choice.

Good Day! - posted on 06/13/2010

Most of the time kids will get chicken pox and then be fine. But in some cases it can cause other problems and death.

http://chickenpox.emedtv.com/chickenpox/...

Sherri - posted on 06/13/2010

Your son will not be able to attend public school without the vaccine. I strongly recommend it.

Brandy - posted on 06/13/2010

My daughter who is now 14 was vaccinated while very small and within a few years developed a BAD case. About 5 years ago she developed them AGAIN and also gave them to her 10 month old brother. I'm not against vaccines per say but I think when people say something so emphatically they really should know that you can and often will develop AND it can be a very bad case like my daughter had. The first set was bad and the second time was uncomfortable but not terrible. So even WITH the vaccine it doesn't gaurantee anything. :) Sorry.

Iridescent - posted on 04/01/2010

You're welcome. It is a hard decision to make.

Katarina - posted on 04/01/2010

I've had shingles. A month before i was pregnant with my son. Yes, it is extremely painful and luckily mine went away. But Amy, you make a good point. I have seen the research on sterility and will take it into consideration. I'm going to talk to my husband tonight and see what he thinks. Thanks for the unbiased opinion.

Iridescent - posted on 04/01/2010

That's funny Rebekkah! All illnesses are "natural". They evolved and exist in nature. It doesn't change the fact that the most severe can be prevented.

Chicken pox isn't a big deal for children over a year and under around 10. It is a huge deal for infants, pregnant women, adults and teenagers. In those categories it can cause birth defects, sterility, and death. Also, having chicken pox at any point in your life can cause shingles at any point in the future (a very painful infection that can last for the rest of your life, which is years, and is poorly controlled with pain medication, and is also extremely contagious). So while you may not want to vaccinate your child at this point (if you're not concerned about shingles in the future), you may want to by the time they're 10 if they haven't had chicken pox yet.

Rebekkah - posted on 04/01/2010

I think the chicken pot shot is a joke. I feel that its a naturl child illness you should check the school where your child is going to or will because in some states like PA it it a school requirment to have the chicken pot shot and the hep B shot before starting school

Katarina - posted on 04/01/2010

Don't children get vaccinated AGAINST measles and mumps?!? Aren't these serious as well? The only sexual shots I know of are the Depo Provera, a birthcontrol shot. Which where I am are not prescribed to women under 18 anyways and the HPV vaccine, which I think is a load of crap anyways.



I have heard of serious effects from the chicken pox but have never heard of it personally, only read about it. I'm still not sure, but I'm doing RESEARCH and will talk to my Dr. on Tuesday about how he feels.

Rosa Lee - posted on 04/01/2010

Give your baby the necessary shots. You don't want to not prevent him from getting Chicken Pox. This is not only painful, but harmful for boys. Your son could become Sterile! Any shots that children need, should always be given. The only shots that I am against are the new (sexual) shots they have out for teen-agers to prevent pregnancy. BAD side effects. Please do the right thing. ALL my children (4) had all the shots necessary, and none of them ever had Chicken Pox. I only had to go through measles and one Mumps.

Christina - posted on 04/01/2010

You need to look at what is required for the schools in which your child will eventually go. I know here in Virginia, starting with Kindergarten-aged children this coming school year (depending upon the school district), they will be required to have not one, but two rounds of the chicken pox vaccination. The only thing that nullifies this is if the child has been exposed and developed chicken pox prior to attending school. You run the chance of your child not being allowed into school, infecting other children, and/or missing a lot of school (or you having to miss work due to childcare not keeping a sick child) due to something entirely preventable.

Katarina - posted on 04/01/2010

I found a website for Health Canada(where I'm from) BUT i found their opinions sometimes biased, obviously.



http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/hl-vs/iyh-vsv/med...

Mimi - posted on 04/01/2010

I know what your saying, here in New Zealand it is a voluntary vaccine and I have been thinking about if our girl should have or not. She has been fine with all her others so far (touch wood) and things like meningitis are tragic illnesses. But Chicken Pox was in my day a right of passage, you were cared for by you Mum and Grandma and it was not fun but Ta-Da you emerged on the otherside well again and unscathed. The nurse at our medical centre said she would give to her child and now our little one is here and had only a sniffle Im unsure I could handle her being so sick. I look forward to reading other replies as were trying to make our mind up too.

Alison - posted on 04/01/2010

I had been on the fence like you, until my sister came into town with a chicken pox ridden child. Her would be host rejected them because her sister in law was pregnant and had never had the chicken pox. She and her family ended up spending the week-end in my two bedroom apartment. My daughter had just turned one and we missed her vaccine appointment. So Julia caught the chicken pox (which was not fun to say the least). And they cut out the second leg of their trip, missing a visit with some close friends.



In conclusion, Chicken pox may not be a severe illness, but it is terribly inconvenient and it is much more likely that your child will actually get them young, since more and more kids are vaccinated. So, my vote is, get the vaccine and you'll never think twice. If you don't, you just might regret it.

Erin - posted on 04/01/2010

From the research I've done, having your child get the chicken pox vaccination will keep him from getting the shingles as an adult. I've also heard of cases of chicken pox that have put children in the hospital. I'd say check out a website like WebMD or another trusted medical site and do a little research. I didn't feel that letting my boys get chicken pox is worth the risk to their overall health. After all, measles, mumps, and other diseases that were vaccinations when we were young used to be childhood diseases as well.