Chickenpox Parties: Parent's Unconventional Treatment

[Math Is Hard]

Just when I thought I had heard it all...
http://www.newstarget.com/004593.html

Since 1995, chickenpox vaccines have become safe, easy-to-get, and highly recommended by doctors. But, increasingly, parents are turning to the old fashioned cure for the disease: chickenpox parties. Parents whose kids come down with the pox are calling the neighbors, and inviting everyone over for some direct exposure.

This is just unbelievable to me. There was a report on this on a radio program this morning - apparently some parents even have little invitations printed up for the party.

I have a feeling Moonbear is going to hit the roof when she sees this...

 

[Danger]

Even given the freaky links you people keep providing, that's one of the dumbest things I've ever heard of. That's not in Kansas, is it?

 

[matthyaouw]

They have vaccines now? Lucky kids. Most of my chicken pox were in my mouth. I couldn't eat for a week!

 

[Math Is Hard]

Even given the freaky links you people keep providing, that's one of the dumbest things I've ever heard of. That's not in Kansas, is it?

Would you believe Oregon?

They have vaccines now? Lucky kids. Most of my chicken pox were in my mouth. I couldn't eat for a week!

I had to do it the hard way, too.
Definitely not a party!

 

[Evo]

I will never cease to be amazed by what people do.

 

[brewnog]

I had a chickenpox party!

When I had it, my parents made me give it my little sister, and then I went round to my mates' houses to give it them too.

Happy days!


No idea there were vaccines, over here it's encouraged just to get it when you're little. It's just funny then, you get spotty and itchy for a week or so, no harm done! I spent the week watching Thomas the Tank Engine.

 

[wolram]

a chickenpox party would be ok if you were the only male, i would even trim my
nails

 

[brewnog]

a chickenpox party would be ok if you were the only male, i would even trim my
nails

Bearing in mind you're usually 2-6 when you attend such a party, I reckon the biggest issue is arriving early for the lion's share of the jelly and ice cream.

 

[Evo]

I had a chickenpox party!
When I had it, my parents made me give it my little sister, and then I went round to my mates' houses to give it them too.

Happy days!

No idea there were vaccines, over here it's encouraged just to get it when you're little. It's just funny then, you get spotty and itchy for a week or so, no harm done! I spent the week watching Thomas the Tank Engine.

My older daughter became extremely ill, a very high fever, and severe lesions that caused extensive scarring. "varicella (chicken pox) is the greatest vaccine-preventable killer of children in the United States see the article below.

"But chickenpox can be dangerous and even deadly. Before the introduction of the varicella vaccine in 1995, approximately 4 million cases of the disease were reported annually, including 4,000 to 9,000 hospitalizations and 100 deaths.

While varicella (chicken pox) is the greatest vaccine-preventable killer of children in the United States, only 26 percent of children ages 19 to 35 months old had received varicella vaccine by 1997.

Ninety percent of all varicella cases and approximately 60 percent of hospitalizations and 40 percent of deaths due to varicella occur in children younger than age 10. Today, the greatest incidence of varicella has shifted to younger children (ages 1 to 4, rather than ages 5 to 9), probably because of earlier exposure in preschool and child care settings.

In the first 3 months of 1998, three fatal cases of varicella in children were
reported."

http://www.cdc.gov/nip/events/niiw/pastPDF/SampleOpEdChickenpox.pdf

 

[Pengwuino]

I never got any vaccine and I never got chicken pox as a kid :D

I am superman.

 

[Danger]

I am superman.

Don't get too confident. Some of those things hit adults a hell of a lot harder than kids.

 

[Pengwuino]

But do they hit supermen harder?

 

[Danger]

The Kryptonite-bearing ones do.

 

[Gale]

my sister and i got chicken pocks at the same time. we ended up only having them for a total of like, 3 days... over the weekend! we didn't miss any school. my brother got it on the monday just after we healed up... he missed the whole rest of the week of school. needless to say, I'm very dissapointed with my chicken pox...

 

[Evo]

my sister and i got chicken pocks at the same time. we ended up only having them for a total of like, 3 days... over the weekend! we didn't miss any school. my brother got it on the monday just after we healed up... he missed the whole rest of the week of school. needless to say, I'm very dissapointed with my chicken pox...

You're lucky. When you have kids though, don't take chances. I think too many people had a very mild case and fail to realize they can be fatal.

 

[zoobyshoe]

Below the article linked to by Math is one that explains the widespread fear of vaccinations:

http://www.newstarget.com/011764.html


"Thimerosal

Thimerosal is the preservative of choice for vaccine manufacturers. First introduced by Eli Lilly and Company in the late 1920s and early 1930s, the company began selling it as a preservative in vaccines in the 1940s. Thimerosal contains 49.6 percent mercury by weight and is metabolized or degraded into ethylmercury and thiosalicylate. Mercury, or more precisely, ethylmercury, is the principle agent that kills contaminants. Unfortunately, mercury also kills much more than that.

The Department of Defense classifies mercury as a hazardous material that could cause death if swallowed, inhaled or absorbed through the skin. Studies indicate that mercury tends to accumulate in the brains of primates and other animals after they are injected with vaccines. Mercury poisoning has been linked to cardiovascular disease, autism, seizures, mental retardation, hyperactivity, dyslexia and many other nervous system conditions. That's why the FDA rigorously limits exposure to mercury in foods and drugs. Some common sources of mercury include dental amalgam fillings, various vaccines and certain fish contaminated by polluted ocean waters. "


"Studies on thimerosal poisoning also describe tubular necrosis and nervous system injury, including obtundation, coma and death. As a result of these findings, Russia banned thimerosal from children's vaccines in 1980. Denmark, Austria, Japan, Great Britain and all the Scandinavian countries have also banned the preservative.

"Eli Lilly stuck to its "scientific" facts, but the truth began slipping between the cracks in 1999. After the number of immunizations rose to 12 to 15 per child, the public finally became privy to the possible dangers of thimerosal. One 1999 study revealed that some infants, due to a genetic or developmental factor, lack the ability to eliminate mercury. Trace amounts of mercury in these infants, when accumulated over several vaccines, could pose a severe health risk. Some vaccines, such as vaccines for hepatitis B, contained as much as 12.5 micrograms of mercury per dose. That's more than 100 times the EPA's upper limit standard when administered to infants. "

 

[Moonbear]

You're lucky. When you have kids though, don't take chances. I think too many people had a very mild case and fail to realize they can be fatal.

Before there was a vaccine, that was the recommendation, just get infected while you're young, because it's much worse when you're older. And for most people, it's nothing worse than a slightly itchy rash (mine didn't even itch...it was great...I had to stay home from school and miss my final exams and I didn't even feel sick, just looked spotty. I gave it to my sister and she came down with it a week into summer vacation; I'm not sure she ever forgave me for not giving it to her sooner so she could miss school too). But the whole reason for getting infected while young is that having the infection then leaves you with immunity against future infections. If you can just get a vaccine to get that immunity, there's not much reason to take the chance you'll be one of the miserable kids or one of the ones who gets seriously ill with it.

 

[Aneleh]

I used to have amalgam fillings until a couple years ago when they were replaced...

 

[Math Is Hard]

No party would be complete without party favors. My brother has shingles as a souvenir from his bout with chicken pox. Coincidentally, my coworker is out with shingles right now. It is supposed to be unbelievably painful. It looks like you've been whipped with a jellyfish that was dipped in tabasco sauce. Some people think shingles are only a problem for elderly people. My brother is 18. My coworker is 35.

 

[zoobyshoe]

No party would be complete without party favors. My brother has shingles as a souvenir from his bout with chicken pox. Coincidentally, my coworker is out with shingles right now. It is supposed to be unbelievably painful. It looks like you've been whipped with a jellyfish that was dipped in tabasco sauce. Some people think shingles are only a problem for elderly people. My brother is 18. My coworker is 35.

David Letterman had to leave his show for a month couple/three years ago. He got them on his face.

 

[brewnog]

Is chickenpox the same thing in the UK as it is in the US? I've never, ever heard of anyone even thinking about getting a vaccine for it! I know that it's a lot more serious for older people to get it, and shingles isn't too nice, but could we be talking about different things?

 

[brewnog]

Ok.

On average, 25 people a year die from chickenpox [in England & Wales]. Overall case fatality was 9.22 per 100 000 consultations for chickenpox. Adults accounted for 81% of deaths.

And interestingly,

more of those who died were born outside United Kingdom than expected (12% v 4%).

Meh, provided I'd attended a party, I'd be happy taking that risk.


Source: Deaths from chickenpox in England and Wales 1995-7: analysis of routine mortality data. Rawson H, Crampin A, Noah N. Guy's King's College, St. Thomas's Hospital School of Medicine and Dentistry, London, UK.

 

[Gale]

chicken pox is just part of growing up. everyon gets them. i don't know if i'd really vaccinate my kids. there's not really a need. its like flu shots. i would never one of those either. the fewer needles in my body, the better. same with my kids. odds are they'll be fine. its an experience. once you've had chicken pox, a cold doesn't seem so horrible eh? gives a kid perspective.

 

[FredGarvin]

The pox parties are a bit of frontier medicine, but I have heard of them. My family went on a cross country trip in an RV with my sister who had it at the time. I never contracted it though. My parents insist that I have never had it.

So Penguin boy is no superman...I am.

 

[zoobyshoe]

Is chickenpox the same thing in the UK as it is in the US?

I don't even remember what it was like. That could be because I was very young or because I wasn't feeling well at the time.

 

[fuzzyfelt]

Even though he answered his own question about whether its the same in the states as in the UK, I'll add to that yes with an interesting fact- most kids in the states get vaccinations, but not all vacinations work, which goes undetected whilst living amongst a vaccinated population. I've seen lots of vaccinated kids arrive in the UK from the states and immeadiatly contract chicken pox because they are exposed to it for the first time. Nasty thing to happen when you're busy moving countries.

 

[Math Is Hard]

I'll add one small thing to that, fi, so we can be sure we're all on the same page and talking about the same disease. From the CDC site:
http://www.cdc.gov/nip/diseases/varicella/

Chickenpox is an infectious disease caused by the varicella-zoster virus which results in a blister-like rash, itching, tiredness and fever.
The rash appears first on the trunk and face, but can spread over the entire body causing between 250 to 500 itchy blisters. Most cases of chickenpox occur in persons less than 15 years old. Prior to the use of varicella vaccine, the disease had annual cycles, peaking in the spring of each year.

It looks like this:
http://www.cdc.gov/nip/diseases/varicella/images/typ-cpox.jpg

 

[JamesU]

I've never got chicken pox. I got a Vaccine

 

[Smurf]

I'd have taken the chicken pox

 

[Danger]

While I don't know just what effect pox has on adults, I do know that mumps is far worse later in life. Also, my father was about 95% deaf because he got measles as a young adult and it destroyed his auditory nerves.