Chicken Pox Twice?

[WorriedRuby]

If you mention CP I doubt they will give GP appointment, as there is risk to other patients. That's what I was told by nurse (on phone), when my DS had CP.

[Sally-Anne]

A home visit wasn't offered when DS2 had CP, so we made an appointment and when we arrived we were rightly sent to Outer Siberia. (I should add that we did have a specific reason for wanting a GP diagnosis.)

If a child has suspected CP for the second time, or shingles, I would think a GP would want to see the child just to rule out anything else.

[hermanmunster]

good old out-of-hours trick - people not keen to bring child down as "might infect others" - explain only me and t' driver and we've both had CPox!!!
As it is. a nice little exposure to the virus enhances our antibodies!....

Re whether you can get it twice - I suppose you can fail to get a decent immune respinse to the virus first time round and hence might get it again...
not sure whether immunity is quoted as 100% after an attack, for lots of vaccines it is only 70-80% -

Just looked it up - facts are:

- only 75% of 1-4 year olds who have chickepox get immunity compared with 100% of adults aged 25-29.

- 97-99% of adults who reckon they have had Cpox have developed antibodies.

I reckon that kids who don't have antibodies aged 1-4 - get exposed again at a later stage and hardly show any spots but get a few more antibodies...and hence by adulthood are immune

[tiredmum]

Just looked it up - facts are:

- only 75% of 1-4 year olds who have chickepox get immunity compared with 100% of adults aged 25-29.

- 97-99% of adults who reckon they have had Cpox have developed antibodies.

I reckon that kids who don't have antibodies aged 1-4 - get exposed again at a later stage and hardly show any spots but get a few more antibodies...and hence by adulthood are immune

well done herman
now i understand how my dd2 had it twice before the age of 4

[Muggle]

My DS has had chicken pox twice - both times very mildly.

[moved]

Thanks Moonlight and moved. It is difficult to know sometimes. Are you feeling better now, moved?

Back to work on Monday, still uncomfy but much better than before thanks.

[ourmaminhavana]

I had it twice, ferociously the second time. It was all my own, stupid fault too. Believing that one couldn't contract it again when my sister-in-law arrived with her poxy baby I jokingly rushed to hold her saying I could do with a few days off school (I was the teacher ). Two weeks later and I'm at a gathering over the Easter hols and I wake up on Good Friday covered in spots. It got even worse as another guest was pregnant so I was basically in quarentine for the duration!
I hope it soon clears up.

[Ally]

DS had the Chicken Pox vaccination at 15 months whilst we lived in the US (you had to have a valid vaccination certificate to attend nursery). Back in the UK at age 6 DS had a mild chicken pox like virus/spots when most class had chicken pox. Doctor could not confirm either way if chicken pox or not. So I'm not sure if it was worth him having had the vaccination ,but if he hadn't he couldn't have attended nursery.

[hermanmunster]

tricky re the vaccine isn't it? Particularly when you HAVE to have it done

my concern is that the immunity from the vaccine is not great and hence puts them at risk later - possibly as adults when the disease can be particularly nasty. Known to increase the shingles rates in older people...

[Looking for help]

Thanks everyone for your replies. He has no more spots this morning, the rest seem to be crusted over. I'm pretty sure it was chicken pox, and herman your stats seem to back it up. I think he was about 2 when he had it first time around. Fortunately it has been a mild dose, and he, I believe is no longer infectious once the spots have all crusted over so it doesn't look like he will need any time off school.