Chicken Pox Vaccination

[Miss.September]

TBH, I'm actually a bit scared to be posting about this, so I'm begging everyone who wants to reply to be nice to each other and remember the love.


DD is fully immunised to this point. She's now 18 months old and time to do the chicken pox vaccination. I believe in the benefits of immunisations, and she has no risk factors that we are aware of. But when I realised this was the next one, I feel like I want to ask questions. I never had it, but suffered badly with chicken pox as a 13 year old. It covered every inch of me, and even down my throat. I remember it vividly.

My concern is that if DD gets chicken pox, and it's bad, how am I going to feel. But if she has a reaction to the vaccination, how am I going to feel?

I guess I want to know why YOU PERSONALLY chose the way you did with this particular vaccination. And any tips on where I can research this further would be much appreciated. I've been searching on the web, but haven't found much, and google sometimes isn't my friend!!!!!!!!!

Also -- and please please note that this will NOT impact my decision in any way, do I have to get this vaccination to be eligable for the money given out for vaccinated kids? Quite simply, I don't want to be expecting money that isn't coming. I don't vaccinate for the money, just curious if the chicken pox vaccination is exempt from this.

[Beach Mama]

I will be interested to find out too hun because J is nearly 2 and hasn't had it yet. There are a few reasons why he hasn't mainly because both kids have been so sick since starting CC early this year that there is no way I want him having it if he even has a slight cold. I also am a bit like you though as I know I will beat myself up either way and just can't seem to decide. I've read pros and cons til the cows come home and I just don't know what to do.

Not much help am I sorry but Hope you can make a decision you are happy with - oh and FWIW I found reading the countless threads on here on BB to be pretty helpful, alot of stuff out there is US based.

[Rach75]

I vaccinate completelt but not rota virus or chicken pox, rota virus I dont beleive either of my children fall in too the risk catergroy no daycare etc

chicken pox itself is not a life threatening disease its the 2nd infections that can be such as phemonia (sp?) also the vacine only last a short time so hey would need to be done againcoem highschool or so....

the reason I chose mainly was I read about I think its japan (dont quote me) I read this 3 years ago, have been routinly vacinating for CP for 20 odd years the kids who were first vaccinated are now showing a massive increase in shingles, as you know you only get if you've had hcicken pox and is generally a older persons disease anyway kids in the late teens and early 20's are getting shingles...

[Trillian]

I actually paid for my first 3 to have this vaccination because it wasn't on the schedule or free so it was $60 a pop to have it done. Our rationale at the time was that when I was a kid, all 4 of us got CP one after the other. Mum had nearly 3 months of dealing with it. My brothers and I got a relatively mild dose but our 2yo sister got it terribly. She had them inside her mouth, nose and vagina and she was miserable. So we wanted to spare the kids from that. BUT then as it started to become more commonplace to have it done, it started emerging that the CP vaccine wasn't terribly effective at all, I just couldn't see the point in getting DS2 done, but we'd stopped vaccinating him at 6 months anyway.

It is on the schedule now though however, so if you decide to not do that one, you will have to have a CO form signed and lodged to still be eligible for the immunisation payment.

I suppose you have to weigh up your reasons for doing it, and then your reasons for NOT doing it and see what the middle ground is. Ask yourself things like what is the risk of her getting it? Does she go to childcare where she will be more likely to be exposed to it? Questions like that let you do a kind of risk assessment. The Vaccine is a 'live' vaccine. In America it is reported that only 79% of children will have immunity after their first vaccine and 99% will have immunity after their second vaccination (first dose at 12-15 months and second at 4-6 years) so that is a long time to not have full immunity from it kwim?

I am just reading the AVN website about it and varicella-vaccinated children are more likely to get shingles, which has longer lasting effects on you by way of neuralgia pain etc.

Good luck with your decision - it's not an easy one to make

[Miss.September]

Thank you for your honest replies. I still don't know what to do. Every time I think I won't do it, I remember how sick I was when I got it, and I don't want her to go through that. AHHHHHHHHHHHH. Maybe that is my answer. I don't know.

[CrazyLady]

Thank you for your honest replies. I still don't know what to do. Every time I think I won't do it, I remember how sick I was when I got it, and I don't want her to go through that. AHHHHHHHHHHHH. Maybe that is my answer. I don't know.

I'm the same but i HAVEN'T had chicken pox..... I was exposed to my sisters the whole time they had it but never got it for some reason, not a single spot...

I'm really worried about the shingles thing though, It made my mum not well and a lady in one of my classes had issues with motor skills and speech after shingles.

[AliBaby]

DD just had the 18mth one for chicken pox last week. She had no reaction to it and actually had a bit of a cold when I took her in for the needle (when do they not have a runny nose when they go to childcare).

As children we were all vaccinated against chicken pox. We all still got it but very mildly and recovered quickly. Later on at the age of 20 I got shingles but I dont believe that has anything to do with the vaccine. I think part of the reason that more and more younger people are getting shingles is due to the amount of stress we are put under, juggling busy social lives, studying, working, etc and not looking after ourselves. That is the reason I believe that I got it. My immune system was lowered because of all of the above.

I have seen a lot of awful cases of chicken pox in unvccinated children and its awful for them to deal with where as I honestly think (and speaking from experience),dealing with shingles as a young adult is much easier to deal with (as painful as it is you know not to scratch, you understand why you are in pain, you can monitor your pain medication a lot easier)

HTH Either way its a personal decision and I think your own and your family's personal circumstances and experiences will play a major role in your decision.

[Schmickers]

Alibaby, I didn't think the varicella vaccine was in use back then?

We chose not to immunize against chicken pox as we felt that the vaccine has not seen sufficient testing, and that chicken pox, although unpleasant, was not life threatening.

[Artechim]

We have just had a bout of chicken pox here - first DS and then DD about two weeks later. Both were mild cases, they had the rash but no other problems (although reaaally cranky!). DD had a bit of trouble sleeping due to the itchiness.

Chicken Pox isn't on the vaccination schedule here in NZ and I wouldn't pay to get it done because it is not life-threatening and although it is a bit uncomfortable for them I think that a natural immunity is better in this case.

[Dansta]

Dj got the chicken pox at 11 and a bit months. so we wont be Vaxing him. but i still have to sign a CO and all that caper. he did have it fairly bad. but nothing a few pinetarsal baths didn't ease. we have noo idea where he got it from - we're guessing christmas day.

Vic we're not vaxing him against it. yes it can be bad as they get older - my sister had it when she was 12. and man was it bad. i on the other hand never caught it off her. i dont see the point in vaxing against it. i'd rather him have chicken pox then shingals. i had a huge debate with a 'friend' on FB over this. if he wants to be vaxed against it when hes older he can be. but as his mum - i see no point.

[Rach75]

ETA- you do have to get the 18mth needle to be eligable for the government payment.

no you dont Jack didn't get it I signed the form and still got the payment

[kawazuki]

If you want information on the CP vaccine, varicilla go to the department of health website and go to childhood immunisations..

Immunise - Immunise Australia Program

there you can view the immunisation handbook which has all the information for and against vaccination and information on risk factors and reactions etc.

as far as im aware the 18mo one is not compulsory, though i did get DD1 done..

the vaccine is the same as any it only has a life of 7-10 years within the immune system as the immune system replenishes and becomes new after a period of time, but it has a memory and will remember certain illnesses and immunisation/vaccinations.
the reason you have a booster is to remind the immune system what its trying to defend.

i just find it interesting how people decide to not immunise. and feel well its not prevelent in my area so i dont need to. but the reason its not prevelant is because people are immunising against an illness to help reduce its occurance and its working.
the more people who do not immunise the more chance there is of an illness coming back

this was evident when they stopped immunising against TB in a certain country within 5 years the incidence of infection rose by 70% so they soon re introduced the immunisation.

i am all for witholding and delaying immunisations for medical reasons and for people who are well informed, but the simple reason, oh you never see anyone with that now is silly as there is a reason why its not common..

sorry ill get off my high horse now..

[luna moth]

I have seen a lot of kids have bad reactions to this vax. Not bad in the sense that they'd show up in stats, but bad enough to take kids a while to recover from them. I've heard some families told not to use NSAIDs for 6 weeks after the vax, and others who look at me very strangely if I ask about it, and that rings all my alarm bells as a vax that is undertested.

All that said, with all the vaxing going on now for CP - it is the majority, so opportunities for exposure to the wild virus are lessened, meaning it could take much longer to be exposed, possibly into adulthood, and I have heard that the older you are, the more you suffer with it.

I had CP as a kid, don't remember it. Mum was BFing when she and my baby sister got it, and she ended up weaning sissy at 8 months because it was too hard.

I don't know if any of that helps at all. FWIW, I will be pretty much fully vaxing, with small delays, except for rotavirus and CP, which I won't be doing.

[AliBaby]

Schmickers- Not sure. It just has all of the vaccinations marked off in our baby record book as being had.

Rach- My mistake. Was quite late last night when I was posting.

[Rach75]

ali thats ok...

as for you getting it unless your about 6 I doubt it as its only fairly new in australia as I said japan have been doing it for comign up 25 years I think but thats the longest I can find

[kawazuki]

the Japanese vaccine is different. from memory the original one was a live vaccine. i have the material on it here somewhere..

live vaccines tend to have more serious reactions as its the actual virus which is being injected not just the memory on how to fight it

[Schmickers]

Kawazuki - as far as I can see, no one in this thread had suggested anything remotely like that. All the contributors so far seem to have chosen not to immunise against chicken pox because it is not a life threatening disease.

[kawazuki]

but it is a life threatening illness, as it has many complications and as you get older it become more serious.

i did also say that informed choices are good, and the other side does need to be told. I also gave the details of the australian immunisation website which I as a health professional use to give information, both for and against, so that the Op could get correct information from a reputable source. not just GOOGLE..

i personally was in hospital for 2 weeks from chicken pox and its complications so I know how serious it can be. yes that is a 1: 1000000 chance of that happening.
but i don't want to risk that with my children.