J.S.
answers from
Chicago
on
fyi, your children do need the vaccination to go to school.
-
Q&A
Get advice from millions of moms -
Timeline
See what’s coming up for your child
Does anyone know anyone who currently has the chickenpox? My older 2 kids have had it naturally (the oldest had to go to 2 chickenpox parties before she caught it, my next oldest was with her at the 2nd party, did not catch it, so I made the 2 of them sleep in the same bed until he caught it. LOL She was 5, he was 3.)
My 4 yr old (soon to be 5) has never been exposed. Since the immunization contains cells from aborted fetal tissue (seriously, look it up, yuck) I'd rather skip this vaccination.
I know, some folks are totally against stuff like this. I'm only asking for people who know someone, in the area, that has chickenpox to reply.
Thanks!
Edited to add - for people that have asked, there are tons of articles available both pro & con about the vaccine. This link takes you to a good one, complete with references at the end:
http://www.mothering.com/articles/growing_child/child_hea...
You do NOT need the vaccine to go to school in Illinois. My older 2 kids are in school, and have never had the vaccine, because they HAD the chickenpox. ;-) (There are also waivers available thru your local health departments. They don't make it easy, but there is an option.)
Another thing to remember, the vaccine does NOT protect you from shingles later in life. You've still been infected with the virus, so you can still get shingles later on. Here you can read other parents postings from people who have had their kids vaccinated, and those that have not. Note all the small kids with shingles due to the shot, and the "mild cases" of pox, only to get another "mild case" (or a bad one) again! http://blogs.webmd.com/all-ears/2006/01/why-immunize-agai...
Here is a link to the pamphlet Merck puts out with their vaccine. The first paragraph tells you it's made using aborted fetal tissue, also known as diploid cell cultures. http://www.whale.to/a/pdf/varivax_pi.pdf
(BTW - several other vaccines are also made this way, but the chickenpox vaccine actually uses 2 aborted fetuses while the other all use 1. Not that this makes it any better or worse. Quick note - these diploid cell cultures have been in use since the 60's & 70's. They are not using recent fetuses for any of this.)
The CDC does NOT recommend getting this vaccine. Here is a link to their summary chart:
http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p2010.pdf
fyi, your children do need the vaccination to go to school.
Hi,
I had my older children get the chicken pox 10, 11 years ago.
I was the same way,I thought the vaccine is stupid.
I still believe the vaccine is really not to important.
Then I had another child 4 years ago and had the same dilemma.
I saw a young man on Oprah a while ago who is a famous professional tennis player. He broke his neck and also contracted shingels in his face,a later complication of chicken pox.He said the pain was so severe,the broken neck was nothing, compare to the shingels.
That is when I decided to get the vaccine.I thought it can't hurt,and the shingels run in my family.
Also you need the vaccine for school,but if your kids had the chicken pox naturally,your doctor can write a note for your school.It is harder to find people with chicke pox today.
You can get them twice by the way,my neighbor had the chicken pox later in life in her thirties,she was so severe sick.
So I have two kids infected with it and one kid vaccinated.
We will see the outcome later in life.
I'm sorry to respond... I know you said " I'm only asking for people who know someone, in the area, that has chickenpox to reply." I just wanted to say, as a new mom, I think this is a very cool idea. The older they are when they get it, the worse it is. What a good idea to get it to them when YOU are ready. :)
I am with you on this one. I too have been looking for a chicken pox party for my 3 kids. I live in St.Charles so if you find one let me know!
I am a mom of 3 and I really don't think this vaccine is necessary only because I had it as a kid and I don't remember it. However, the schools here require it and I'm not sure how you can get out of that, maybe religious reasons?? I looked up the vaccine info and didn't find anything on aborted fetal tissue, where did you find that?? My biggest concern with this "required" vaccine is that it can wear off and you will need another vaccine later in life. And according to revolutionhealth.com "The vaccine is about 70% to 85% effective at preventing mild infection, and more than 95% effective in preventing moderate to severe forms of the infection. Although the vaccine works pretty well, some kids who are immunized still will get chickenpox." I have two boys and one girl. I never really was too concerned about the chicken pox vaccine with the boys but now that I have a daughter I am very concerned about her getting chicken pox when she is pregnant. It can lead to severe birth defects. I think this vaccine is rediculous. This basically tells me that up to 30% of kids can get chicken pox regardless if they get vacinnated or not, isn't that a huge risk to take especially in females??? I'm worried about it to tell you the truth. Also, from the same source it says that "Healthy children who have had chickenpox do not need the vaccine -- they usually have lifelong protection against the illness." So, in my opinion this means that my child is more protected without getting the vaccine. 30% chance that she will get it if she has the shot and she will require a booster later, versus letting her get the pox and have lifelong protection. It really doesn't make sense to me. Anyone else??
-J.
