Hi,
Yes, Myles has had the chicken pox (varicella) vaccine, we got it about three weeks ago. He'll need it when we go back to the US, it's required now for nursery and for primary school, at least where we live on the east coast.
Plus I've personally had chicken pox TWICE (which isn't supposed to happen), first time I was under 1 year and it was really mild, so then I got it again when I was three. I'm one of those for whom the virus never really leaves, just settles in nerve endings and then I ended up with terrible shingles when I was sixteen. It was incredibly painful (as Jules said), and that was back when I was a resilient teenager. I know I'll get them again at some point, and -- again, like Jules said -- I wouldn't wish them on my worst enemy.
Because I'm just so susceptible to this virus, I really wanted M. to get the vaccine in case he takes after me. The NHS won't give it here, you can do it privately (there is a clinic in St. Albans called the Brakespear Clinic that does it for 90 pounds). About two weeks after Myles' MMR we had a chance to get the chicken pox vaccine for him for free through my former employer and I jumped at it. Was a bit worried as it was so close to his MMR, but went for it anyway, saved me $180+ dollars!
Anyway, Myles' has reacted to every vaccine he's ever gotten, mostly with a mild to high temp, but with the MMR he had a bigger reaction -- not just the crazy behavior that we all had a laugh about, but also a high temp and a rash across his abdomen for two days. So I was prepared for some reaction to the Chicken Pox vaccine, but he had ABSOLUTELY NO REACTION whatsoever, not even a temp. I was very surprised, and am very glad he got it.
Most of the time, Chicken pox isn't a big deal. However, there are serious complications in some children, and they haven't been able to predict which kids will get complications. Meningitis is one of the most serious complications. Also, if you get a pox in an eye, it can leave you blind. I also personally know some people who suffered for years with scars from their pox, especially those with darker skin to begin with. So it's not really a mild disease.
I've had several long conversations with the immunization nurse at our local NHS clinic about this vaccination (because I was trying to convince them to give Myles one). She explained to me that the NHS has to prioritise due to budget constraints, and they find the overall benefit for all children taken together as a whole doesn't yet outweigh the cost of giving the shot to every single child right now. I can understand this. But if you can afford to do the shot privately, or if your NHS trust will offer it to you, I'd do it. It is true that the vaccine is new and no one is sure if the immunity wears off after years and years. I wouldn't be surprised if they start to recommend a booster. But based on our experience with the first shot, I wouldn't hesitate to have Myles re-vaccinated if I needed to.
Sort of off the subject, but have you read that they are now recommending that parents not wait until age 4 for the MMR booster, but instead have it done as soon as six months after the first shot because it affords more immunity and there's so much measles and rubella going around now??? I was surprised by this, but if measles and rubella continue to be as big a problem in our area (NW London) as they have been this fall, I will seriously consider getting M's booster this Spring. We all ought to be able to wait until age four, it's probably much safer than doing the booster right away, but because some people refuse to vaccinate their children the first time around, we all end up paying the price and have to take the risk of an early booster shot to outweigh the risk of our lo's catching a deadly disease.
I really should add that I have friends here in London whose kids haven't had the MMR, and I know how sensitive they are about this choice, so, again, apologies as I'm sure I've offended some of you. It's just my opinion.
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09-11-07, 20:20
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