musing about the chicken pox

[lissakatt]

So I took Boy to a Chicken Pox Party a few weeks ago. So far, I really can't tell if he caught it or not, but the general protocol is to stay home in isolation in case he is contagious. It's starting to drive both of us crazy

Comments

[artana]

Because schools require the vaccine now.

[lissakatt]

'spose...we are taking the religious exemption for that reason.

[kyril]

I think the primary benefit of vaccinating for chicken pox is to try and eliminate the disease (like we mostly have in the developed world with polio) so that it can't threaten adults.

I'm not sure if chicken pox is one of those things with multiple strains, but usually you can only get it once so they can't be that different, unlike the many varieties of influenza. Still, if you can get chicken pox twice then the vaccine can't be 100% effective...maybe no vaccine can. Which should be all the more reason to expose the kid to the "real thing" while still a child.