can you fly with chicken pox?

[ameraumi]

The vaccine is not meant to give the person immunity to it, but rather make a case less severe if they get chicken pox. So it does not surprise me that so many students got it.

I have a home daycare and I had an outbreak back in 2000. 6 out of the 10 kids got it, 4 had the vaccine. The other 4 already had it.

At least you have a backup plan. Go enjoy your vacation and do not dwell on it. If it happens, it happens and deal with it then.

 

[CleveRocks]

I just happened upon this thread tonight. This won't help the OP, who's leaving tomorrow, but this may help others in a similar predicamant.

I got this info from my wife, a board-certified pediatrician. She said it's not a mathematical anomaly that 4 kids in the same class, all vaccinated, got chickenpox. The good news is there is something recommended by the AAP (American Academy of Pediatrics) called post-exposure prophylaxis . What this means is, when someone knows or suspects they've been exposed to the virus, they can get a second vaccination, ideally within 72-to-120 hours of first exposure. This CAN prevent contracting the illness.

Talk to your pediatricians about it!

Maybe if the OP reads this she can get her daughter to a doc in Orlando???!!!

 

[CleveRocks]

The vaccine is not meant to give the person immunity to it, but rather make a case less severe if they get chicken pox.

Sorry, but the above is completely incorrect information. Varivax was designed and marketed to PREVENT chickenpox. PREVENT. GIVE IMMUNITY.

Of course, it's not 100% effective, and the studies have shown varied results, but up to about 4% of properly immunized people will still contract the disease -- these are called "breakthrough" cases. And yes, vaccinated individuals who do contract the disease often experience less-severe symptoms.

But Varivax absolutely does mean to give the patient immunity to chickenpox, not just make the case less severe.

Where did you get your information???

 

[Angiepea]

Hi

not read everybodys post, but No you cant fly. One thing that helps the spots come out quicker is a bath with bicarb of soda in it.

angie

 

[Allison]

I hope everything goes well for you. Good luck and have a great time.

 

[ameraumi]

Sorry, but the above is completely incorrect information. Varivax was designed and marketed to PREVENT chickenpox. PREVENT. GIVE IMMUNITY.

Of course, it's not 100% effective, and the studies have shown varied results, but up to about 4% of properly immunized people will still contract the disease -- these are called "breakthrough" cases. And yes, vaccinated individuals who do contract the disease often experience less-severe symptoms.

But Varivax absolutely does mean to give the patient immunity to chickenpox, not just make the case less severe.

Where did you get your information???

From my children's Ped as well as numerous trainings I have been to for my daycare, not too mention personal experience. Too many children I know have had chicken pox after having the vax, which is why my children will not get it.

I hope the OP has a great vacation and everyone stays healthy!

 

[my3kids]

mommytomy3,

Are they sure this is the chicken pox? 7 vacinated kids getting the chicken pox at the same time (without the incubation period in between the cases) is more than freaky, it has to be some kind of mathmatical anomaly. I work with preschool kids and a few have gotten the chicken pox even though they were vacinated. Those that did had only a few spots, and never passed it to others although they are in close contact. I have seen things like hand, foot and mouth disease that look like the chicken pox, and that spread like mad.

We had a cluster outbreak of chicken pox in our community also.....almost all the children had been vaccinated. These were cases which had been confirmed by physicians. It was actually reported to the CDC.

I'm curious of the OP's kid's ages. The outbreak here targeted a very defined age group, so the health department was gathering information on the specific vaccines that were administed to the children. Aparantly there were storage isssues in the early administration that have since been refined.

The health department interviewed the parents of the infected children. One of the questions was the parent's opinion of the severity of the case. Most said light. The health department said then the vaccine did what it was supposed to do.....they never promise complete immunity but instead hope that if the child gets chicken pox the risk of complication from a serve case would be lessened. The shot kept any of the vaccinated children from getting any of the dangerous complications of the virus. The vaccinated kids had fewer lesions and missed far less days of school than the few children that had never received Varivax or had a naturally occuring case of Chicken Pox.

 

[DaisyD]

As long as your DD doesn't show any signs of the illness then I would go on with my trip. You can't live life wondering if you are going to get sick in the future. For goodness sakes, go and have a great time as long as your DD is not showing any signs. You have a back up planning for returning home and that is all that matters.

 

[ZuZugal]

My daughter was vaccinated and still got the chicken pox.

It was a milder case, but she still had them. mostly on her face and torso, not extremities.

It can certainly happen.

Maybe take a packet or two of Aveeno powder with you. That saved my DD. Just sprinkle it in the tub before child takes a bath. Really helps relieve itching, etc.

 

[FINFAN]

I would just like to post that I contacted the Chicken Pox when I was 14 weeks pregnant w/my DS. The vaccine available now was not out yet, and Murphy's Law...had not gotten them my whole life, then at 32 and PG..HELLO! I was immediately given an injection,, varicella something, a triple injection in the behind that knocked me on that same behind for 5 days. I was in and out of it, scared to death of losing the baby, what might be happening TO the baby, was he going thru the pox like I was...the main objective was to keep my fever low so as to not hurt him.
I was exposed by my nephew...my SIL who knew I was pg and had never had them, THOUGHT he was safe since it was day 20 and he did not show signs. We were at my FIL's birthday which is a MUST..no one can skip it. Well....day 21 my nephew broke out, I had been exposed the day before.
My son wa born healthy enough, but has suffered horrible allergies and skin rashes his whole life. While we will never know if he actually had the pox ( blood test shows borderline immunities, so he has been vaccinated) I can tell you that MY immunuties were wiped out by the injection while pregnant. So, I had the pox, had the injection to save DS, and then I had to get the vaccine to cover me in the future. It was sheer he** to go thru, I don't think I could knowingly take a trip while this was on my mind. I guess you could look at it as if you were one of the exposed on the trip and had no idea, but you do have an idea. I hope the trip is CP free, and if I felt I had to still goI would have rented the car for the entire trip and not flown at all. I know it is a tough choice to make, but from the info you have posted, looks like you can't be shocked if the pox arrive. If your DH does get them, I hope he has a less intense case than I did. They are horrible in adults.


Pam

 

[evaready51]

The problem w/having a mild case of the chicken pox is that when your child is older, they will become prime targets for Shingles. This is a more potent strain of CP and it is excruciatingly painful.

That happend to my son when he was in 6th grade, after he had mild cp when he was 2. Once you get Shingles you can get them over & over again.

 

[BibbidiBobbidiBOO]

The problem w/having a mild case of the chicken pox is that when your child is older, they will become prime targets for Shingles. This is a more potent strain of CP and it is excruciatingly painful.

That happend to my son when he was in 6th grade, after he had mild cp when he was 2. Once you get Shingles you can get them over & over again.

I am sorry but I think it would be incredibly selfish to board a plane w/chicken pox and infect all those innocent people.

Actually, if you get the shot you have a much less chance of ever having the shingles. http://www.cdc.gov/nip/diseases/varicella/faqs-gen-shingles.htm#4-someone

The OP's child did not have the chicken pox. She said she would not fly if anyone did. The child had the shot. I am fairly sure the OP was scheduled to fly yesterday and should be at Disney now! Hope they are having fun and that vaccine works!

 

[sarahsmom73]

My parents always sent my brother and I to play with the neighborhood kids who h ad the chicken pox... We assumed I must have ahd them.. WRONG!!!! As a teacher I got them 4 years ago at 28 after I was spiy on by a kid who's family doesn't beleive in vaccinations...I came down with them on my very first mothers day and I can honestly say it was the most miserable time! My daughter was 9 months at the time... She came down them two weeks later. She was too young to get the vaccination at the time. I have never felt so bad. DH and I were giving her aveno oatmeal baths at 2 am to try to make her comfortable..

DD has had 2 doses of the mmr and is due to get her third at her Well Child visit in August before Kindergarten.. I am already planning to ask our Ped. when our new baby is born in the next couiple of weeks if she should get it early... This mumps outbreak has me very nervous!

Please, please, please be cautious when you think your child may have a comunicable disease!

 

[evaready51]

Actually, if you get the shot you have a much less chance of ever having the shingles. http://www.cdc.gov/nip/diseases/varicella/faqs-gen-shingles.htm#4-someone

My child did have the shot and the Infectious Disease MD attributed his case of Shingles to the mild case of cp.

This is going to become a huge issue as all these children get older, since they infact are the first generation to be able to get the vaccination and no one is quite sure what exactly will happen. Time will tell.

 

[BibbidiBobbidiBOO]

This is going to become a huge issue as all these children get older, since they infact are the first generation to be able to get the vaccination and no one is quite sure what exactly will happen. Time will tell.

Japan will pave the way as they used the shot a good decade before us.
http://www.who.int/vaccines/en/varicella.shtml

After observation of study populations for periods of up to 20 years in Japan and 10 years in the United States, more than 90% of immunocompetent persons who were vaccinated as children were still protected from varicella.

 

[debaudrn]

Evaready51
It's true that a mild case of chicken pox is the reason your child had shingles as the infectious disease doctor said. However, the important fact is that your child had chicken pox not that it was a mild case. Shingles is caused by the same virus that causes chicken pox. Once you have had chicken pox - a mild or severe case - you will always carry the dormant (quiet) virus in your system the rest of your life. When you develop shingles it is from the chicken pox/shingles virus that you are already carrying not from exposure to someone else who has chickenpox or because your case of chicken pox was mild. The varivax vaccine will help to reduce the number of cases of chicken pox and hence will also reduce the number of cases of shingles in the future. It won't cause more people to get shingles as you need to have had chicken pox in some form (mild or severe) in order to ever get shingles. If you never have chicken pox because you have immunity (not just because you've never caught it, but true immunity due to blood antibodies) to it you will not get shingles either as you do not have the virus in your system. I hope that makes sense.

 

[debaudrn]

The vaccine is not meant to give the person immunity to it, but rather make a case less severe if they get chicken pox.

This isn't exactly accurate. The vaccine is designed to give immunity however like all vaccines it isn't 100% effective in all people. It most often will make a case less severe in someone who does develop chicken pox after being vaccinated.

The problem w/having a mild case of the chicken pox is that when your child is older, they will become prime targets for Shingles. This is a more potent strain of CP and it is excruciatingly painful.

This is not accurate at all. They aren't prime targets for shingles because of a mild case of chicken pox. They are prime targets for shingles because they had chicken pox. It doesn't matter if it was mild or severe. You carry the virus forever once you have had chicken pox no matter if you have a mild case or a severe case.

I'm a school nurse and I just don't like to see inaccurate information like this distributed among the public. I'm just trying to correct some misconceptions or misunderstandings about this vaccine. I hope this helps.

 

[goofy 28]

Actually, if you get the shot you have a much less chance of ever having the shingles. http://www.cdc.gov/nip/diseases/varicella/faqs-gen-shingles.htm#4-someone

The OP's child did not have the chicken pox. She said she would not fly if anyone did. The child had the shot. I am fairly sure the OP was scheduled to fly yesterday and should be at Disney now! Hope they are having fun and that vaccine works!

Boy are you wrong on that Bibbidibobbidi,
Much like some of the others, my daughter has had the shot also go a very mild case of the pox and then had shingles, and is very likely to get them again, which she has.

I can't belive this thread is still going around.

 

[debaudrn]

Goofy 28
BibbidiBobbidiBOO isn't wrong. Re-read what she and I posted and her link to the CDC information on varicella (chicken pox). The vaccine isn't 100% effective for everyone but it does lessen the chances that a child will develop chicken pox and subsequently shingles. Unfortunately, your child is one who developed a mild case or chicken pox (it could have been more severe if she/he hadn't gotten the vaccine). Your child then got shingles because of having had chicken pox not because of having had the vaccine. You must have the chicken pox virus in your system (from having had chicken pox) in order to develop shingles. Someone who has never had chicken pox cannot get shingles. They have to have the virus already in their system from chicken pox to develop shingles.

 

[goofy 28]

Goofy 28
BibbidiBobbidiBOO isn't wrong. Re-read what she and I posted and her link to the CDC information on varicella (chicken pox). The vaccine isn't 100% effective for everyone but it does lessen the chances that a child will develop chicken pox and subsequently shingles. Unfortunately, your child is one who developed a mild case or chicken pox (it could have been more severe if she/he hadn't gotten the vaccine). Your child then got shingles because of having had chicken pox not because of having had the vaccine. You must have the chicken pox virus in your system (from having had chicken pox) in order to develop shingles. Someone who has never had chicken pox cannot get shingles. They have to have the virus already in their system from chicken pox to develop shingles.

No, my child got the shingles from a VERY MILD CASE of the chicken pox. Those who get a regular case of the pox are very LESS LIKELY to get the shingles and probably won't!
And by the way she did have the shot and still got shingles anyway
maybe you should reread things.