For those who selectively vaccinate

amother

Thu, Nov 06 2014, 10:44 am

I ask this question not to start a debate about the merits of vaccination, but because I'm trying to figure out what to do.

If you choose not to vaccinate your child with vaccines that are not mandatory, such as varicella, would you reconsider your policy if your child had an immunocompromised classmate? My daughter will be severely immunocompromised later in the school year, and chicken pox can be potentially fatal for her chas v'shalom. There is a child in her class who is not vaccinated for varicella. I would never specifically single out this parent and ask her to change her beliefs, but if I were to send out a letter to the whole class explaining her situation, do you think she might reconsider? Would you?

(Btw, the school obviously didn't tell me about this child, the mother did before my daughter got sick, so for all I know there is more than one child.)

PinkFridge

Thu, Nov 06 2014, 12:15 pm

Jewishmom8 wrote:

I am not sure this matters to you in deciding but my kids did get the shot and got chicken pox anyhow..

Likely they got a mild case. However, my kids who caught chicken pox from a vaccinated child got full blown chicken pox.

Though my game plan was to wait till ten (they got it well before) if there was a request to vaccinate for this child's sake, I probably would have. My last experience with c pox was a decade ago, I hear of very few cases now.

amother

Thu, Nov 06 2014, 12:31 pm

PinkFridge wrote:

My brother never was vaccinated for chicken pox. He never even heard of a case. He's 20 now. When his doctor asked him if he had the chicken pox, he said yes, because he thought it was just some kind of rash that goes away. He had no idea what it was. His doctor ran blood work and saw he was not immune so gave him the shot before he went to college. My parents are pro vax so I'm not sure why he didn't get the shot when he got things like the hep a and hpv growing up. I never saw a case of chicken pox until I joined the frum community and met people who don't vax on purpose.

Refuah Shalaima to OPs child.

amother

Thu, Nov 06 2014, 12:32 pm

I probably wouldn't. The reason I'm not giving the shots I'm choosing not to give is to save my child from potential harm and not to sound obnoxious but my childs safety is more important to me than your childs safety.

I also feel pretty strongly that I want my children to get chickenpox if possible because having the disease causes lifelong immunity and the shot does not. Chicken pox is not dangerous until the child hits puberty. I want to give my child the best chance of getting it for that lifelong immunity because the thing is, the shot doesn't last forever. It gives approximately 10 years of protection but no one knows exactly how long and most adults don't check their titers regularly. By giving my child the shot I take away their chance of lifelong immunity and also put her at risk for catching it at a later date when she is no longer immune and it is then dangerous for her.

Is there a reason your daughter can't be vaccinated? Also, what about the case of other children who can't be vaccinated for whatever reason. Possibility of carrying a disease and passing it on has nothing to do with whether or not it was done by choice.

Regardless, insensitive as it seems, I feel like people who are immunocompromised or allergic or whatever their issues are bear the brunt of the responsibility for keeping them sheltered (though I'm happy to help with allergies and not send peanuts etc because that doesn't potentially harm my child in the name of protecting someone elses).

Scrabble123

Thu, Nov 06 2014, 12:38 pm

amother wrote:

You're making an idiotic decision. I hope that one day people that make the same terrible decisions will be incarcerated and jailed for public harm and child abuse.

OP, what has your child's doctor said about sending her to school and being around unvaccinated children. I know someone who does not vaccinate, but she has only 2 children. Her friend's toddler was being treated with chemo and steroids for leukemia, and when she had to leave her child at someone's house to chose this friend who did not vaccinate because the doctor felt it was safest for the child to be in a home without many children. School has children with many viruses, including ones besides for chicken pox. That being said, the doctor did prefer that the children would also be vaccinated. I believe you should discuss it with the school. I imagine that they will be very helpful. Refuah Shalaima & besoros tovos!

Last edited by Scrabble123 on Thu, Nov 06 2014, 12:40 pm; edited 1 time in total

Scrabble123

Thu, Nov 06 2014, 12:44 pm

amother wrote:

Explain why not giving the varicella vaccine to a prepubescent child is an idiotic decision? I'd argue the other way around. Do you blindly vaccinate or do you think about why you give individual vaccines?

Well let's start with the risk from complications from chicken pox is a higher percentage than the risk of a severe reaction to the vaccine. It's a highly contagious disease, and allowing your child to get it and potentially spread it to others with no immunity or immune system is reckless and unpardonable. Much like what Sierra Leon's president said regarding Mr. Duncan getting on an airplane after he knew that he was exposed to Ebola. I hope that your child will not have any serious complication from the chicken pox as well as small ones, but I hope and pray even more that he/she will not give it to anyone who is immune compromised.

amother

Thu, Nov 06 2014, 12:47 pm

Scrabble123 wrote:

I didn't say anything about acting irresponsibly if my child gets sick. There is virtually no risk to a prepubescent child from chicken pox. Once my child is at risk at puberty I plan to expose them to the potential risks of the vaccine. I agree that it would be reckless to expose others to her while she is sick and have no intention of doing that.

Scrabble123

Thu, Nov 06 2014, 12:49 pm

amother wrote:

While you are correct that there are virtually no risks to a healthy child of that age, what about all the people she exposes to the chicken pox BEFORE she comes home? Chicken pox is an airborne illness which is contagious even before the rash appears. I'm sure you wouldn't drag your kid all around town with the illness, which I would consider much more than simply reckless, although I do know who brought a child with chicken pox to her OB.

amother

Thu, Nov 06 2014, 12:58 pm

Scrabble123 wrote:

There are overall precautions to take such as laying low after being exposed. I still think that it's in each individual healthy childs best interest to get chicken pox and not the vaccine and for the immunocompromised (which includes pregnant ladies) people of the world to be careful for themselves knowing that they don't want the disease and getting vaccinated themselves if they can.

Scrabble123

Thu, Nov 06 2014, 1:02 pm

amother wrote:

Ok. That sounds quite sensible, but how will you even know when you were exposed? As I said, it's airborne and highly contagious. What if you use an elevator after someone with the chicken pox was in it? What if you were at mall? Are you not going to send your children to school or go anywhere with them until the incubation period is over? This reason is reckless IMO, but you are entitled yours meanwhile since the law does allow for it.

amother

Thu, Nov 06 2014, 1:10 pm

Scrabble123 wrote:

You can't always know but you do for instance know if another classmate had it and are therefore at risk etc. I think most people who are aware that they have it won't go out in public so it's probably not that likely to get it at the mall. When I got it it was the same time everyone else in the neighborhood was getting it. No secret where it was coming from (though I guess the first person could have gotten it at the mall...still back then people wanted to get it so may have been considered more ok to go out in public).

And I'd be entitled to my opinion even if the law didn't allow for it. Law can only dictate how I should act not how I think.

MaBelleVie

Thu, Nov 06 2014, 1:41 pm

I would be quite taken aback if a parent asked me directly, but if it was a general, classroom-wide thing it sounds fine. Don't expect anyone to share their final choice with you though, because it is after all their child's medical history and they have a right to keep their reasoning private.

Since cases of wild chicken pox have been dramatically reduced with the vaccine being so widespread, I'm assuming my kids will likely not be exposed and I'll eventually vaccinate them anyway. I understand how challenging it is to have an immunocompromised child. So there's a good chance I would do it earlier out of consideration to you.