Chicken Pox

[jackie j]

My husband had never had chicken pox as a child so when ourdaughter got it and passed it on to him he was really ill with it and was off work for a month.
you can get shingles if you have had chicken pox.
Hope they get better soon.

[SlugLobber]

Chicken pox CAN be 'caught again' if it's a different strain and it's more likely the longer the period between exposure times. I've had it twice myself and know how nasty it is as an adult, compared to as a child. I was knocked out for two weeks, but it's a great weight loss strategy, lol! I'd stay away from the oldies just in case.

[Growem]

Actually, it's beneficial for elderly people to be in contact with kids with chickenpox, it boosts their immunity and reduces their chances of getting shingles.

How does it help you avoid getting shingles? Just curious, as I've not heard this before.

Ahh.. so (and this is my non-mendical side coming out in full force) it's a little like a cold sore - once you get the virus it never goes and can sometimes flare up again at certain times/circumstances?

It's very much like a cold sore. Cold sores are Herpes Simplex viruses and chicken pox/shingles is the Herpes Zoster virus. Once you have it, you can get it again and again. Not from catching it from someone else, just from your own body setting it off again. Fortunately most people only get it the once. I've been unfortunate enough to have had chicken pox twice (at 8 and 17) and shingles once (at 26).

If your Nan has had it before, it's probably fine to be around her, but that cough might not be related to chicken pox and you might want to consider that before visiting.

[Capsid]

How does it help you avoid getting shingles? Just curious, as I've not heard this before.

The virus infects you again but not so you'd notice since you are immune but the exposure is enough to trigger and boost your memory T cells. It's the T cell immunity that keeps the virus in check and stops it re-emerging as shingles.

Contacts with varicella or with children and prote...[Lancet. 2002] - PubMed Result

[Growem]

Interesting, thanks for that.

[LizyDrippin]

I've never had chicken pox, neither has my 17 year old, which is just as well as he has a very strange immune system which doesn't cope well with anything.

I can still remember the agony that my aunt went through when she had shingles, to this day I think it shortened her life, she never really recovered after it.

It can also cause complications during pregnancy both to mother and child,

Like many conditions/diseases that are onsidered "childhood" diseases people are prone to think they aren't all that dangerous when in fact they can be depending on the circumstances

[JanieB]

My three childen all had chicken pox at about the same time, although one of them didn't catch it from the other two.

My youngest son, then 6 years old, developed it, rapidly followed by his 22 year old sister. I don't think she caught it from her little brother, but from the same source he got it from as she used to pick him up from school.

This was his second bout of it. The doctor said that as the first time was before he was 6 months old it didn't confer immunity.

He didn't seem to suffer too much. He was full of beans and loved being off school. His sister was much worse and had spots like monster frogs eyes.

We were advised to put bicarb in the bathwater to reduce itching. This worked well. Don't get it from the grocers but from the chemist where it is a lot cheaper for a huge tub.

My older son was 25 when he developed it. He discovered his beard is red and he didn't go out during the day, but cycled around at 2 am to get some fresh air .

[Capsid]

There is a vaccine that has been used in the USA since 1995, but it's not part of any vaccination programme in the UK.

[Alice]

Yes Shortie, chickenpox can be carried on clothes, books, paper, all the things known as Fomites.
And you can get it more than once. Usually having it gives you immunity, but people with suppressed immunity can get it again.

[Hilary B]

Shingles (like a cold sore) once dormant in the system, can be triggered by stress. I remember being told that the greatest risk is from catching chicken pox for the first time as an adult, but I would exxpect other possibilities to exist......

[Shortie]

If your Nan has had it before, it's probably fine to be around her, but that cough might not be related to chicken pox and you might want to consider that before visiting.

The doc reconed he had a couple of chicken pox spots in his throat - is this even possible?

I have no idea if I'd be able to see anything myself anyway but I've not seen him since the first unsuspecting spot on Thursday night (sounds like a neglectful Mum at this point, whoops)

[LizyDrippin]

There is a vaccine that has been used in the USA since 1995, but it's not part of any vaccination programme in the UK.

There is talk about adding it to the MMR

I've nothing against the MMR, my son had both his MMR jabs.

I do suspect though that the addition of the chickenpox is because the licence for the MMR is running out and by adding the CP it will become a "new" product again

[Capsid]

There is talk about adding it to the MMR

I've nothing against the MMR, my son had both his MMR jabs.

I do suspect though that the addition of the chickenpox is because the licence for the MMR is running out and by adding the CP it will become a "new" product again

What do you mean by the licence is running out? Do you mean patent protection?