2009 must have been dodgy year for chicken pox vac!

[AndiE]

DS1 has chicken pox, despite having the vac at 18 months. A boy in his school class had it approx 2 weeks ago, he was vacc'd too. A mum from school who I've been in touch with this morning says she's heard of a few cases about where the vaccination obviously didn't have an impact.

DS1 has them across his body. He's not covered in them, but there's enough. And they are a bit itchy, though he says he's ok now after a pinetarsal bath, calamine lotion and a dose of antihistamine.

Do I keep DS2 away from daycare in case he has it? He was vac'd also (but in 2011 - maybe not a dodgy chicken pox vac year) and showing no signs.

I'm not trying to start a debate on vaccination (I'm pro-vac), but it does make me crabby to think that you vac your child to prevent the disease and subsequent spread of the disease ... and for what! Now DS3 (not vac'd for cp as not old enough) is facing a dose of it. Just hope the rest of us (I was vac'd for it 10 years ago) and DH (had it as a child) don't get it. I'm itching in sympathy already. I loathe chicken pox. Bah humbug. Vent over.

[boomba]

Hugs.

Unfortunately having a vaccination does not make you immune to any of the diseases. Hope he is better soon x

[Nai]

We had an instance where the nurse wasn't activating the vax properly, you needed to twist the vial to mix it or something and as a result a heap of kids got saline vax instead of the actual one. Fortunately they discovered it but a whole lot of kids had to get it done again. Sometimes errors like that can mean that a whole cohort of kids get things that they are supposedly vax'd for. But yes it is pain!

[Arcadia]

CP was the only vax I refused because it has the worst efficacy rates. Two doctors backed me up. I have been hoping my two get it as youngsters because it is better to get it young and life long immunity is more likely if you get it (as opposed to vax).

Sorry your little one is sick. Fingers crossed your other kids get immunity from exposure too and don't actually get sick. DH never had CP but has excellent immunity.

It sounds like you're managing it well.

[Little Chicken]

It is now recommended that you get two doses f the chicken pox vaccine as it provides a better immune response. But, as you have discovered, you can still get it despite getting vaccinated, but it ill be a much milder form.

[Duchess]

I've never assumed vaccinating prevents the disease, I always thought it wouldn't be as bad as if they were not vaccinated, and the more people that vaccinate the weaker the disease gets.

[~clover~]

Nothing is guaranteed. There is a chance that if you contract the disease, that it won't be as bad. A chance. No 2 people are the same. The same as there is a chance the immunisation won't fully protect you.

From what you have described, your DS has a mild dose. I don't know if he's in the early stages or not though.

DD2 had them at 6 months old & they were pretty nasty. It was an absolute nightmare. None of my other children have contracted CP though, despite the fact that I'm 99% sure DD1 brought them into the home.

[AnyDream]

My understanding of the chickenpox vax is that breakthrough pox is fairly common - however it usually a much milder form of the disease - fewer spots, lower temps, get better more quickly and are less likely to infect other children (because the total germ load is less) although still contagious.

FWIW there's no way to know who your child "caught it" from. Chicken pox is fabulously contagious (via sneezing & coughing) even before the spots appear, so there are likely to be a number of children at the school who have it.

[~clover~]

I think incubation period is around 14 days isn't it? So 14 days between contracting the virus & symptoms showing. And they're contagious in that time, until all blisters have crusted over... As far as I remember anyway.

[jellybean88]

Both my brother and I were vaccinated but both got chicken pox , I also got measles too

The vaccination isn't a cure if just means if you do get it its generally not as bad case than if you didn't get vaccinated

[HotI]

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, clinical trials have demonstrated that varicella vaccine is 70% to 90% effective for preventing varicella and more than 95% effective for preventing severe varicella.[18]

I was looking into how some people don't become 'immune' to chicken pox from the vaccine, and wondered how that gave them less symptoms. Unless, the vaccine prompted their body to create some immune response, but not great enough to prevent the disease all together. I then thought, there must be some people who don't respond at all to the vaccine, even if it is given correctly, and wondered about the frequency of this.

Not sure if this quote is addressing these two factors, and (disclaimer) it has only come from wiki, but if it is correct - perhaps 1 in 20 (95%) are minimal or non responders to the vaccine and 1 in 7-9 respond to the vaccine to some extent.

[AndiE]

Hi all, DS1 isn't too bad, all things considered. I guess the vaccine has helped in terms of him having a mild dose of it. Mind you, mild is bad enough. DS2 is still ok, and DS3 (my main concern) is incredibly snotty at the moment, so if he does get it I can only hope it holds off a few days. Of course my fingers are crossed he doesn't get it at all. It's going around DS1's classroom, he's the third to have it and I was told a fourth child came out in spots at the weekend, so I think it's a fair assumption he's picked it up from his classmates. Not that that worries me - I'm sure Cam has passed on a cold or two amongst his friends. Hey, that's what school's for.

Have to say, every time I have an itch or a scratch I'm inspecting it "just in case". I'm incredibly paranoid about chicken pox - I always have been after seeing my mum get it when she was in her 30s. I hope like hell my vaccine holds up for me!

[HotI]

you can get your immunity checked with a blood test. it might give you some reassurance.

[Jennifer13]

My DD1 brought home the chicken pox earlier this year, despite being vaccinated in 2007. She had a decent dose and a week off school. I don't know I would have classified hers as minor, seemed like a normal dose to me. I know of plenty of others that have caught it as well, despite being vaxed (several in DD1's class). Unfortunately for us, I also caught it, even though I've actually had chicken pox before at 15. So apparently immunity to chicken pox is something that for some people doesn't last for life anyway. I really hope now that the two girls have had it I don't see it again during their childhoods! DD2 caught it as she was unvaxed (not that vaxing helped for DD1, but anyway...). My issue now is that DD2's vax schedule won't show chicken pox and her preschool for next year are having trouble understanding why she doesn't need it and doesn't need to be excluded.

My immunity was checked when pg with DD2 (only two years ago) and was fine. Just one of those things.

[HotI]

My issue now is that DD2's vax schedule won't show chicken pox and her preschool for next year are having trouble understanding why she doesn't need it and doesn't need to be excluded.

I think this will be one of the difficulties with the proposed plan to stop CO forms being acceptable for x,y,z. For some people, who selectively vax or miss specific ones due to illness or reactions to the vaccines (when the schedule lists more than one dose), getting a CO form signed is easier than getting medical exemption. Many times, reactions are ignored or not seen as serious enough, or you don't have proof of the infection, or the medical person thinks they should get the vaccine anyway.

Jen, Has this affected DD2s up to date status with the Immunisation people, or have you been able to have her illness recorded?

[~clover~]

My DD1 brought home the chicken pox earlier this year, despite being vaccinated in 2007. She had a decent dose and a week off school. I don't know I would have classified hers as minor, seemed like a normal dose to me. I know of plenty of others that have caught it as well, despite being vaxed (several in DD1's class). Unfortunately for us, I also caught it, even though I've actually had chicken pox before at 15. So apparently immunity to chicken pox is something that for some people doesn't last for life anyway. I really hope now that the two girls have had it I don't see it again during their childhoods! DD2 caught it as she was unvaxed (not that vaxing helped for DD1, but anyway...). My issue now is that DD2's vax schedule won't show chicken pox and her preschool for next year are having trouble understanding why she doesn't need it and doesn't need to be excluded.

My immunity was checked when pg with DD2 (only two years ago) and was fine. Just one of those things.

My DD2 had CP at 6 months old. On her immunisation registry list I'm pretty sure it says; Varicella - natural immunity... My health nurse I think sent that info through. So maybe you could ask your gp about updating the register? Or call medicare themselves & ask their advice?

[AndiE]

you can get your immunity checked with a blood test. it might give you some reassurance.

Thanks for the thought, but I actually had my immunity checked approx 10 years ago. Showed I wasn't immune to it and so I had the vaccine (2x shots). So fingers x I'll be ok. Mind you, I've had three rubella immunisations (inc one after DS1 and another after DS2) and I'm still not immune to the damn thing! I'm also hoping that DS3 might have some immunity to CP given I'm still BFing him. I presume I've been exposed to the virus and my body might be fighting it off right now (a pure assumption only). The antibodies would have to be present in my breastmilk, presumably, and provide a teeny bit of protection to DS3. Thoughts?

[Jennifer13]

Well, I had it right after DD1 and before DD2, who is still bfing. I had it the worst (and with a secondary infection), but DD2 still got a nasty dose, despite bfing throughout.

My immunity had gone from immune to completely not within two years since I was last tested.