What are your opinions on the chicken pox vaccine?

I wish I never did it. Maybe because I'm so old. When we were growing up, our parents took us to visit the kid who had the chicken pox. The younger the better (missing school matters less in kindergarden).

When Evan was a baby I fought it tooth and nail. I postponed it all I could, then I learned that he couldn't get into school w/o it. I scrambled to find a kid with chicken pox (if the get the virus they don't need the shot). How come you can't find a sick kid when you need one? I caved and got him the shot. I got the shot for my daughter too.

Everyone here knows Gina has type 1 diabetes, dx at age 3. I've read umpteen articles since then, connecting the vaccination to the disease. But, like autism, where there's one article that connects it, there's another one that debunks it. We'll never know, and it doesn't matter now anyway; what's done is done. I asked her pedi what he thought about the connection and he looked at me and sighed and said there's enough there to turn a head.

If you have a choice, don't do it. Not just because of Gina's experience, as I said it isn't proven and even if it's connected, it's not absolute. But so many good antibodies come out of a chicken pox exposure. We're hurting our kids by vaccinating them against everything, putting only antibacterial soaps everywhere, and so on. (I am in fact provaccination, as it applies to polio, MMR, and other deadly viruses).

Yes, thumb all you like. Connecting a vaccination to a disease is unpleasant, isn't it. And to say the least it's the unpopular thing to do around here. This is something I'm passionate about finding the answer to. Leave that alone.

*** Thanks Smile... you've always got my back!

1

If the governmenet is not going to pay for it (which they don't where I live, and other vaccines are covered), then they have no right to require it for school. I never got my kids the chicken pox vaccine, and my only reason was because of the cost. My kids (twins) both got chicken pox at age 4, at the exact same time. It didn't faze them at all, in fact we went on a pre-planned vacation 2 days after they broke out, and my kids both have weakened immune systems, they were 7 weeks premature and both have mile-long lists of allergies.

My daughter just went to her 15 month check up today (shes 16 months but the dr. is a month behind) and I said NO to all 5 vaccines they were trying to jab her with. I also said no at her 12 month check up too. Everyone I know has had chicken pox. I have also had shingles too and now they are coming out with a vaccine for that. Even if you decide to vaccinate, there's still a chance that she could end up with chickenpox. Same with ANY vaccine, nothing is 100%!

chicken pox CAN be deadly, children have died from complications. Schools now require this vaccine just as they do the others.

All of my children had the vaccine and none of them have ever had the chicken pox. My older boys recently had the booster shot as well. My kids are 14, 14, 11 and 9. I would highly recommend the vaccine, why put your child through the unnecessary discomfort at the very least of having chicken pox when you don't have to? It is a miserable thing to have and can leave scars if they pick or scratch at the pimples.

Not sure why everyone is saying wait because she is young, the best time to get it IS when they are young. All 4 of my boys all had it at their 1 yr check up.

I don't agree with the chicken pox one and we do give Elyse 'most' shots. I don't think it has been around long enough (10-15 years I think) plus it isn't necessary IMO. Everyone gets the chicken pox as a kid, it's almost a right of passage in childhood. The shot does not give lifelong immunity as getting the pox does. So later down the road as an adult the child can get the chicken pox or shingles and it is much harder to recover from as an adult.

Although a very few children who receive the chicken pox vaccine will come down chicken pox, it's still better to get your child vaccinated. If your child is vaccinated, it's highly likely that he'll never get chicken pox. However, if he does come down with it, he'll have a much milder case than he would without the vaccine. Vaccinated children who get chicken pox tend to get fewer than 25 blisters. By contrast, unvaccinated children can develop more than 500 blisters.

It is also important to point out that chicken pox is not always a mild illness. Of the 3 to 4 million U.S. children who come down with it every year, 1 in 1,000 will develop complications such as severe pneumonia or a brain infection called encephalitis, and about 50 will die.

We also know that shingles (a painful and disfiguring rash caused by the same virus) is less common and less severe in people who have been vaccinated than in those who actually had chicken pox as children.

As with all vaccines, a certain number of children will experience mild side effects. Up to 20 percent of children will have pain where they received the shot, about 10 percent will have a low fever, and about 4 percent will develop a mild rash, which is basically a mild version of the disease itself. A few cases of severe reactions have been reported with the chicken pox vaccine, including pneumonia, and seizures leading to coma and even death. But these reactions are so rare that experts aren't sure they're connected to the vaccine.

If your child does get a mild case of chicken pox from the vaccine, there's a very slight possibility that he'll infect other family members. If you have elderly family members or immune-compromised people living in your household, call your doctor to learn how to protect them from catching the vaccine strain of chicken pox.

The chicken pox can be quite serious and lead to other complications in children so I think thats why the insist on you including this vaccine just as you have the others.

Both my children had it and they have not had the chicken pox yet so I am sure thats a good thing; I suppose you could talk to your doctor about it and perhaps they have some pamphlets at the doc's office that will provide you will more information.

Bozz Mozz- Your answer gave me something to think about. :) It makes giggle cause when I thought Jasper had the chicken pox at 2 years old I told my mom who said "Great...better to have it now than when he gets older." I was stunned but turns out I got the chicken pox when I was younger on purpose--mom took me to visit my cousin knowing he had them. Turned out Jasper had an allergic reaction and no chicken pox but I was shocked at the way my mom reacted. She does not believe in the vaccines being administered these days--shes done her own research and swears one day they will solve the mystery and either link it or not; that being vaccines with diseases. We will know and lets hope there is no shame when the truth is figured out.

i would not if i were you. the chickenpox are annoying when you are a child but when you are an adult it is a lot worse. sometimes even if you take the vaccine you can get the chicken pox. if you get the chicken pox there is also a chance that you will get it again but that chance is so small it is not worth talking about. too me it is a waist of money. my mother did not want me to get the vaccine, and my brother got them. she wanted me to get the chickenpox when i was little so she stuck me in a bathtub with my brother... it worked

My daughter didn't get this vaccine. I don't think it is necessary. The chicken pox is not deadly (except in very rare cases, but in rare cases so is air and water). We all have chicken pox as the kids and we are ok. I think over-vaccination is more dangerous to your child's system than chicken pox. We parents need to quit freaking out about everything and let nature be nature and kids be kids.

Bozz Mozz: I remember my mom taking us to my cousins house who had the chicken pox so we could get it too! How times have changed.

Well, sometimes I think it's almost pointless. My daughter had to see specialists and everything because they couldn't figure out why, even with the pox vaccine, she got chicken pox 3 times in 3 years. It was less than twenty each time, slight fever, felt sick etc.

Maybe she would have gotten it worse if she didn't have the vaccine. I don't know.

I would get the first one, if she hasn't shown any reaction to other vaccines but take a pass on the second chicken pox vaccine. I think that's just silly. My kids did not get the second dose when they turned 5.

I agree Mozz. I also think it's very dangerous to assume there are no risks with a vaccine.