My son hasn't had chicken pox yet?

Question

Does it matter? - he's 10 now. I've heard that if he gets it as an adult instead, it can be a lot more serious.

By the way - I know there's still time, it's just that it seems everyone else his age has already had it.

Answer 1

It is more serious as an adult but there is a medicine they only give out in serious cases which will clear them up quickly so don't worry. if he gets them there is something they can do. You might find he'll pick them up soon enuf anyway so not to worry!

Personally i'm sitting at home with my 2 year old daughter who came into contact with someone in the infectious phase over a week ago. she's fast asleep on the couch with a low fever which can be the start of it. so i'm on spot watch. doesn't want to come over and play does he? if she's got them she'll be infectious now! lol!

Answer 2

You're right, it can be really bad as you get older. I'm not sure why that is, but I know my best friend in high school was extremely sick. However your son doesn't have to get them, go get him a Varicella vaccination. My daughter got this vaccination when she was a baby. And now the school is requiring all kids to get a booster, so she'll get that soon. The vaccine will either prevent him from catching chicken pox, or in some people they will still get it but the symptoms will be much milder.

Answer 3

I didn't get chicken pox till I was 38 years old... I caught it off my 5 year old son, who got it from school. I was sore and felt sorry for myself for about a week, but lots of bed rest helped. I think like any infection it all depends on the person how severe it is. But I think the mumps are worse to get when men are older as it can lead to sterilization.
There are vaccines out there to help fight these infections, so just get your son a shot and he should be fine.

Answer 4

I'm not sure when it was instituted but all children are now required to get a chicken pox vaccination. If your son got it that might be why he's never gotten them :)

Answer 5

He might just have a good immune system. Hey I've had it three times!

It is worse when you get older because you tend to get them in some more "interesting places" but that fact that he hasn't had something isn't anything to worry about.

Answer 6

Lucky kid. I still have large scars from the chicken pox. Did you not have him vaccinated? I sure wish I had been, I had the worst case my doctor had seen in years. I hope to God I don't get shingles later in life, my stepmother has outbreaks of it and can't move for days.

Answer 7

Dont worry, I got my smallpox at the age of 32, got it from my son when he contracted the small pox from school.

Not dangerous, but a laughing stock at work.

Actually when I had my small pox, its not painful, but it get itchy and irritating when its about to heal, that is the time when you don't scratch it, otherwise it will leave a scar mark. Also it gets more itchy when it gets hotter, so I have to stay isolated in an aircondition room.

Small pox comes to everyone once in their lifetime, if you treat it carefully, it will not recur. The way we Chinese observe are; we avoid electric fan, just stay in an air condition room, avoid eggs, beef and eggplant other more pox will appear. Drink a lots of water, avoid dark foods like soy sauce when it is about to heal, otherwise the pox mark will get darker.

Other than this, its not that dangerous.

Answer 8

yes that is true, it is more difficult for an adult to deal with chicken pox but don't worry if he doesn't get it. It will come and pass.

Answer 9

My daughters got it at 18 & 20! They were quite uncomfortable for a few days but got over it OK. I've never had it. If there is a vaccine I havent heard of it.

Answer 10

Q. I know getting chicken pox as an adult can be dangerous. I did not recall having chicken pox as a child, so my doctor checked a blood test. It came back negative. If I decide to become pregnant sometime in the future, should I get a vaccine? My doctor recommends it, but I want a second opinion.

What are the pros and cons? One more thing: my doctor said she'd write a prescription for me and I should go to the pharmacy, pick up the vaccine, bring it to her, and she'd give me the shot. Is that the usual procedure?

A. Immunity to chicken pox as an adult is an important issue since chicken pox is much more severe in grown ups than in kids. Chicken pox is a viral illness that causes clear blisters on the skin that then drain and scab and are quit itchy. Symptoms also include fever and malaise.

The illness lasts about a week. The chicken pox vaccine introduced in the early 1990's will hopefully eliminate chicken pox in the U.S. Most people think of chicken pox as a benign childhood illness; but occasionally there are complications such as skin infections and pneumonia.

The biggest problem in a household with chicken pox is that one child will get chicken pox the first week and the next week another sibling will get the illness so that now the parent has had sick, unhappy kids at home for 2 weeks.

Fortunately, with mandatory chicken pox vaccine for children over the past 2-3 years we see a lot less chicken pox. The vaccine is 80-90% effective. In the children that do get chicken pox after vaccination it is a milder, briefer illness.

Shingles (which is caused by the same chicken pox virus that remains in the nerves after chicken pox resolves and emerges years later to cause a painful, isolated rash) is less likely to occur in children that have been vaccinated compared to kids who had chicken pox.

Chicken pox in adults has a higher risk of complications including pneumonia and rarely death. Women in their reproductive years are at particular risk because catching chicken pox during pregnancy is not only dangerous for mom but can cause birth defects in the developing fetus. Teachers, day care workers and health care workers are at much higher risk of being exposed to chicken pox.

95% of adults have had chicken pox in the past and have immunity which means they cannot catch chicken pox again if they are exposed. You cannot get shingles when exposed to chicken pox. Shingles occurs years later after someone has had chicken pox and the dormant virus reemerges.

If you and your parents cannot recall if you had chicken pox as a child, the next step is to do a blood test called a titer to check for antibody levels against the virus. If you had the infection in the past, your body produces antibodies that are designed to attack and kill the virus. In your case, this revealed a "negative titer".

I agree with your doctor that you need to be vaccinated. The vaccine involves 2 shots in adults which includes a booster shot at 2 months. In children, their immune system is more resilient, and they only require one shot. The vaccine is safe. Side effects include a local reaction or tenderness at the site of the injection and occasionally a mild rash and fever which often indicates a good immune response to the vaccine.

It is important for women to clear up this issue before they become pregnant and get vaccinated before pregnancy. It is also important to check that a woman has antibodies to german measles(rubella) which can also cause birth defects if a pregnant woman becomes infected. It is not recommended to have chicken pox vaccine or rubella(MMR) vaccine when pregnant. Vaccines such as the flu vaccine and hepatitis vaccine are safe during pregnancy. In fact, the flu vaccine is now recommended for pregnant women.

Your doctor should be able to order the chicken pox vaccine (called Varivax) without cost from the state of Massachusetts. There are certain vaccines in adults that are not provided by the state that include Hepatitis and Meningococcal vaccines. If you have HMO insurance, these can be ordered by the doctor's office and are covered by your insurance. Other insurance plans may or may not cover these vaccines and you must pick these up at the pharmacy and bring to the doctor's office for administration.