Just wanting thoughts and opinions on the chicken pox vaccine. Would be really interested to see what people think of it.
Can't decide what I think of it!

This thread could open up a can of worms.

I am pro vaccination in general, but my daughter had a reaction to the chicken pox vaccine so I wouldn't get it done again. She has an egg allergy and while the Doctor said it would cause no problems, I think it did. She has not reacted to any of her other shots, but came out in hives and ran a temperature for three days. She was miserable.

If your child has an poor immune system, etc etc then chicken pox can be deadly and people shouldn't forget this, but it wasn't a non-negotiable vaccine for me, and with hindsight I wouldn't give it to her again.

At first i thought it was a great idea, then my son got eczema after his 5 month vaccines, so not wanting to do other immunisations than whats absolutely recommended. Chicken Pox are highly contagious tho so can see why u might want to have vaccine (i think if i wasnt put off by my sons eczema, i wud get it too), however i know someone recently who's child had the vaccine and still got chicken pox (you just might get them milder)

Hi there,2 of my children DS1 and DS2 have had the chicken pox vacc,however DS1 still got chicken pox at age 5 but a mild dose.DS2 has never got them.DD and DS3 on the other hand have not had their CP vacc as they got chicken pox before the needles was due.DD got them at 17months and she got a good dose of them.DS3 was only 4 and a half months old when he got them,so he wont be needing the vacc.Also DD did get shingles about 6-7 months ago.The Doc had said if kids get chicken pox at a young age they can shingles later on.
DS1 and DS2 never got any bad reactios to the vacc aswell.
I dont know about pros and cons maybe google it or ask your GP or Nurse.

All the best.

chickenpox info

This is an interesting vaccine to discuss between NZ and Australians.

In Aussie it is promoted as being a serious illness that is horrific and can cause death, and it is on the vaccine schedule.

In NZ it is not on the vaccine schedule, but is avalible and it is promoted in adverts as being a good option because then you dont have to take time off work to look after your child when they get a dose of it.

So the attitudes towards the disease in the two countries is different. In NZ for alot of families it is just one of those things that children get. Yes it is miserable for them, they get spots and a temp, they itch and then they get better and carry on with life. I have been working with and alongside children for most of my life and I have never seen a child be admitted into hospital with serious issues linked to chicken pox. I'm not saying that children dont just that of the many children I have worked with/known I have not seen it.

This is an interesting vaccine to discuss between NZ and Australians.

In Aussie it is promoted as being a serious illness that is horrific and can cause death, and it is on the vaccine schedule.

In NZ it is not on the vaccine schedule, but is avalible and it is promoted in adverts as being a good option because then you dont have to take time off work to look after your child when they get a dose of it.

So the attitudes towards the disease in the two countries is different. In NZ for alot of families it is just one of those things that children get. Yes it is miserable for them, they get spots and a temp, they itch and then they get better and carry on with life. I have been working with and alongside children for most of my life and I have never seen a child be admitted into hospital with serious issues linked to chicken pox. I'm not saying that children dont just that of the many children I have worked with/known I have not seen it.

In Australia it USED to be just a normal childhood disease. It was never anything major, just something kids used to get and it was better that they got it young. In most children it was mild. Obviously like all diseases some kids have a bad reaction or secondary issues. (same as a cold can effect some people a lot worse then others, especially those with a compromised immune system.) Then the vaccine came onto the market. Suddenly chicken pox started being promoted as this horrible illness that you had to stop your kid from getting at all costs. The wording they used in regards to cp became more and more threatening and suddenly its a deadly disease and your lucky if you don't have major issues if you get it. As of next year, the vaccine will be incorporated into (i think) into the MMR vax. If you don't want the cp vax next year, you will have to get the vaxs separately. To get your end of year family tax supplement, you will also then need to go to your vax provider and get them to sign a conscientious objector form. As time goes on and the cp vax becomes part of the schedule, it will eventually be thought of as a terrible disease like all the others. Look out NZ! You will be next!

In Australia it USED to be just a normal childhood disease. It was never anything major, just something kids used to get and it was better that they got it young. In most children it was mild. Obviously like all diseases some kids have a bad reaction or secondary issues. (same as a cold can effect some people a lot worse then others, especially those with a compromised immune system.) Then the vaccine came onto the market. Suddenly chicken pox started being promoted as this horrible illness that you had to stop your kid from getting at all costs. The wording they used in regards to cp became more and more threatening and suddenly its a deadly disease and your lucky if you don't have major issues if you get it. As of next year, the vaccine will be incorporated into (i think) into the MMR vax. If you don't want the cp vax next year, you will have to get the vaxs separately. To get your end of year family tax supplement, you will also then need to go to your vax provider and get them to sign a conscientious objector form. As time goes on and the cp vax becomes part of the schedule, it will eventually be thought of as a terrible disease like all the others. Look out NZ! You will be next!

roll eyes , soon a common cold will be the worst thing ever..... and in the meantime there are hundreds of people dying of cancer....but thats a whole new topic. wink

roll eyes , soon a common cold will be the worst thing ever..... and in the meantime there are hundreds of people dying of cancer....but thats a whole new topic. wink

thats right! it will only be the worst thing ever when there is vaccine. There will only be a vaccine if the profits from a vax, outweigh the profits of general cold remedy products.

This is an interesting vaccine to discuss between NZ and Australians.

In Aussie it is promoted as being a serious illness that is horrific and can cause death, and it is on the vaccine schedule.

Let’s not exaggerate. Here's what the immunisations handbook says (it doesn't say it's a "horrific" disease, and it clearly says that complications occur in 1% of cases - in children. However, those complications can be severe such as brain damage, bleeding disorders, and yes, even death):

"Varicella is a highly contagious infection spread by air-borne transmission of droplets from the upper respiratory tract or from the vesicle fluid of the skin lesions of varicella or zoster infection.1 Varicella is usually a mild disease of childhood. However, complications occur in approximately 1% of cases.3 It is more severe in adults and in individuals of any age with impaired immunity, in whom complications, disseminated disease, and fatal illness can occur.1

The average incubation period is 14 to 16 days (range 10–21 days), but may be longer in those with impaired immunity, especially after receipt of zoster immunoglobulin (ZIG).2 The period of infectivity is from 48 hours before the onset of rash until crusting of all lesions has occurred. A short prodromal period of 1 to 2 days may precede the onset of the rash, especially in adults.1,2 In otherwise healthy children, skin lesions usually number between 200 and 500.1,2 Acute varicella may be complicated by secondary bacterial skin infection, pneumonia, acute cerebellar ataxia (1 in 4000 cases), aseptic meningitis, transverse myelitis, encephalitis (1 in 100 000 cases), and thrombocytopenia. In rare cases, it involves the viscera and joints.1

Congenital varicella syndrome has been reported after varicella infection in pregnancy and may result in skin scarring, limb defects, ocular anomalies, and neurologic malformations.1,4 There is a higher risk to the fetus if maternal infection occurs in the second trimester compared with infection in the first trimester (1.4% vs 0.55%).5 Infants with intrauterine exposure also risk developing herpes zoster in infancy (0.8–1.7%) with the greatest risk following exposure in the third trimester.4 Severe neonatal varicella infection can result from perinatal maternal varicella.6 The onset of varicella in pregnant women from 5 days before delivery to 2 days after delivery is estimated to result in severe varicella in 17 to 30% of their newborn infants.7

Reactivation of latent VZV as a result of waning cellular immunity results in herpes zoster (HZ), a localised vesicular rash. HZ can occur at any age, but is more common in older adults and individuals with impaired immunity. Complications may include post-herpetic neuralgia, and disseminated zoster with visceral, central nervous system and pulmonary involvement1 (see Chapter 3.26, Zoster).

There is no specific therapy for uncomplicated varicella infection. Antiviral therapy is used in the treatment of complicated or severe disease or varicella in people with impaired immunity. An increased risk of Reye syndrome following varicella infection has been reported in association with aspirin or other salicylate use8-12 (see ‘Precautions’ below). Aspirin or other salicylates should not be used in the management of varicella infection."

I don't understand why you wouldn't vaccinate.

I don't understand why you wouldn't vaccinate.

just read one of the other vax threads. wink

I think it is unecessary and that the 'benefits' don't outweigh the 'risks' having looked in-depth at the both the disease and the vaccine. If you look into the history of the vaccine, it wasn't developed to stop people dying, it was developed so parents weren't having to stay home to look after their child(ren) who had CP.

As it relates to shingles...anyone who has had varicella enter their body has the potential to get shingles INCLUDING those who have been vaccinated because the vaccine is a live virus vaccine. There are claims out there that if you get the vaccine you can't get shingles....but shingles has been documented in vaccinated individuals. Though if you are so inclined, you are covered there too because there is also a vaccine for shingles. blink

Our boys have had CP, but even if they hadn't, this is not something that we would be looking to get them vaccinated against.

As it relates to shingles...anyone who has had varicella enter their body has the potential to get shingles INCLUDING those who have been vaccinated because the vaccine is a live virus vaccine. There are claims out there that if you get the vaccine you can't get shingles....but shingles has been documented in vaccinated individuals. Though if you are so inclined, you are covered there too because there is also a vaccine for shingles. <span class="emoticon blink">blink</span>

It clearly states in the immunisations handbook that you can still get shingles. I’ve never heard any claims that you can’t.

I think if anyone is questioning whether the chickenpox vaccine is worth getting they should read this thread. Not a pleasant situation to be in.
With the prevalence of chickenpox decreasing in the community people are not catching it whilst they're kids. It's a much nastier disease to have when you're an adult - especially if you're pregnant.

I think if anyone is questioning whether the chickenpox vaccine is worth getting they should read this thread. Not a pleasant situation to be in. With the prevalence of chickenpox decreasing in the community people are not catching it whilst they're kids. It's a much nastier disease to have when you're an adult - especially if you're pregnant.

Thank you for highlighting one of the reasons, IMO, you shouldn't get the CP vaccine and probably the main reason we wouldn't touch it with a barge pole. Before a vaccine was developed more than 90% of children under the age of 10 had CP; now CP is turning up in adolescents and adults when the risks are so much higher either due to the fact that it isn't around as much and/or waning immunity from their vaccination.

You don't even have to remember getting CP to be immune anyway; 5% of CP infections are sub-clinical and there are people out there who can never recall having had them, yet when they get their immunity checked they are immune. I suspect that's why you will find that infection in adults is quite rare; though if you happen to be one of the unlucky ones who gets it as an adult then you are at much greater risk of ending up very unwell.

I'm not questioning what the handbook says about CP vaccine and shingles Cruxy, I am telling you what parents on the ground that I have spoken to believe. Those same parents also tend to believe that CP is a disease to be avoided at all costs and that if their kids get them they will be very unwell; the statistics won't support it, but it doesn't stop them believing it.

Maybe all the NON VACCINATED kids out there are safe because the majority of people do the right thing and DO VACCINATE their kids.

I read this somewhere and am inclined to believe it.

Shoot me now

Thank you for highlighting one of the reasons, IMO, you shouldn't get the CP vaccine and probably the main reason we wouldn't touch it with a barge pole. Before a vaccine was developed more than 90% of children under the age of 10 had CP; now CP is turning up in adolescents and adults when the risks are so much higher either due to the fact that it isn't around as much and/or waning immunity from their vaccination.

Chickenpox can actually have serious complications in some cases - so I don't see how not having the vaccine is better.

The more people are vaccinated, the less likely it is to occur - and it is possible to completely eradicate an infectious disease - look at smallpox!

When looking at it in an evolutionary type perspective how far do we go to stop our little people being miserable and sick and how will it affect generations to come?
What will our immune systems be like if we are constantly relying on man made medicines to promote immune responses to diseases?
We are already faced with an amazing amount of allergies and diseases like cancer which were not as prevalent before. Is it just environmental and dietary or does the constant medical procedures and interventions partly to blame?
I am not saying that medicine does not have a place or that it is the cause and should be stopped.
Disclaimer: This post has come straight out of my own head and are my own thoughts and questions so I dont claim to know everything or to be correct or relevant with my musings.
I just think it better to pick our battles and to me CP is not one that i would choose to fight

When looking at it in an evolutionary type perspective how far do we go to stop our little people being miserable and sick and how will it affect generations to come?
What will our immune systems be like if we are constantly relying on man made medicines to promote immune responses to diseases?

have a look at what diseases such as smallpox and polio actually do. They don't just make people "sick" and "miserable".
Those man-made medicines trigger the NATURAL immune response by introducing a tiny amount of the disease into the body - in a SAFE form.

We are already faced with an amazing amount of allergies and diseases like cancer which were not as prevalent before. Is it just environmental and dietary or does the constant medical procedures and interventions partly to blame?

The reasons why the rates of cancer are increasing are very simple - smoking, alcohol consumption, unhealthy diet, lack of exercise - and the fact that people are living longer. If we live long enough we will ALL get cancer. It has nothing to do with vaccinations.

Having the vaccine can have serious complications in some cases, leave you vulnerable to the disease it is supposed to prevent, and wanes over time so I don't see how having the vaccine is 'better' than having the disease that in the vast majority of cases confers immunity for life. Before there was a vaccine less than 0.5% of people ended up in hospital with complications from the CP; statistically speaking you had a 0% chance of dying, in real numbers that meant that of the 4,000,000 Americans who got varicella every year 50-100 people died. One of the most severe complications from varicella is varicella pneumonia...but occurs almost exclusively in adults with CP not children; it occurs in 1% of adults who get varicella. Varicella related encephalitis is even rarer and occurs in about 1 in 4,000 children; which equates to 0.03% of children who get CP. Could your child be that child....yes they could; but they could also die in a car accident on the way to school or go to sleep one night and never wake up...both of which are extremely rare events but more likely scenarios than having a serious complication from the CP.

It would be great if the vaccine was 100% effective in everyone who has it..except it isn't, and is at best 85% effective after one dose. Smallpox disappeared even in places where people refused to be vaccinated and is the only disease ever to be 'eradicated'.

Paralytic polio accounted for less than 1% of all polio infections before a vaccine was developed. The vast majority of people who got Polio were 'sick and miserable' for a few days and made a full recovery. If you happen to be one of those unfortunate people who got the paralytic version yes you had a high chance of dying, but most people didn't get paralytic polio. The oral polio vaccine is still being used in developing countries, even though they know it causes polio; I wouldn't call that 'safe', I'd call that playing Russian roulette with people's lives.

have a look at what diseases such as smallpox and polio actually do. They don't just make people "sick" and "miserable".
Those man-made medicines trigger the NATURAL immune response by introducing a tiny amount of the disease into the body - in a SAFE form.


The reasons why the rates of cancer are increasing are very simple - smoking, alcohol consumption, unhealthy diet, lack of exercise - and the fact that people are living longer. If we live long enough we will ALL get cancer. It has nothing to do with vaccinations.

My first two questions were directly related to the CP vaccines not the others.... although I am not a fan of them either <span class="emoticon wink">wink</span>

We will have to agree to disagree with your second point, what I have seen from cancer what you have explained does not sit right. I will stick by my stance that allergies and cancer are rising and it is not purely environmental and lifestyle.... though those things are contributors.

Paralytic polio accounted for less than 1% of all polio infections before a vaccine was developed. The vast majority of people who got Polio were 'sick and miserable' for a few days and made a full recovery. If you happen to be one of those unfortunate people who got the paralytic version yes you had a high chance of dying, but most people didn't get paralytic polio. The oral polio vaccine is still being used in developing countries, even though they know it causes polio; I wouldn't call that 'safe', I'd call that playing Russian roulette with people's lives.

I still get to look after people (at least twice a year) who had polio when they were kids and still don't have the use of some of their limbs. I'm sure those people don't see it as a disease that just makes you 'sick and miserable'. There are also people who are still kept in "iron lungs", because for whatever reason they were unable to be changed to modern-day ventilators.

The reason the oral form is used in developing countries is because it's quicker and cheaper, and yes unfortunately about one person per 750,000 who receive the oral vaccine develop paralytic polio - I would still call it safer than the one to five unvaccinated people in 1000 cases developing paralytic polio (or one in 75 cases if you're an adult!).

So in your opinion what terrible effect does the inactivated poliovirus vaccine that you think it's better for hundreds of thousands people in the world to be left disabled, unable to breathe without the assistance of a ventilator or dead?

Hello everyone,

I was debating on if i should post anything on here and i'm not here to have a go at anyones opinions at all.
What i do believe is that everyone should make an educated decision on the choices they make. The pro's and con's and not just listening to a one sided optinion that you get majority of the time from various people in the medical profession.

Generally speaking we are raised to not ask questions and to believe what ever we are told by the Doctors. (i know i was) This is something that over the last 6yrs i have challenged after having a major health issue myself. What medical science couldn't fix, a homeopath did after 6 months of treatment and i have been 100% healthy for the last 4yrs. I did alot of research before i chose to go with natural therapies and it prooved to be the right thing for me. Not everyone agrees and not everyone approved. I did battle with my GP and had a strongly worded conversation with another medico, but in my case i got to proove them wrong.

Vaccines in general is something i am doing alot of research on at the moment with my first baby due in 8 weeks.
As far as the CP vaccine, my nephew had the vaccine but then also got CP twice when he was in primary school???
I am researching not only the vaccines through the Doctors but also the homeopathic vaccines. No vaccine needle or natural vaccine gives anyone 100% immunity.
I am swaying more towards going down the homeopathic road, partly because of the results i had but also because the reading i have done has informed me of what they put in the needle vaccines and how they are made. To be honest what i've read doesn't sit to well with me. I wont go into detail here as i think snippets of information can freak some people out.
I am reading an interesting booklet i got from my GP's office, she is also a naturopath. It's called 'Vaccination, Investigate before you vaccinate: a guide for parents' It is a very interesting read.

In any situation, information and education is key. If you feel you have made an educated decision and are 100% happy with that, which ever way you go, i wish you all the best and for happy healthy children.

Hello everyone,

I was debating on if i should post anything on here and i'm not here to have a go at anyones opinions at all.
What i do believe is that everyone should make an educated decision on the choices they make. The pro's and con's and not just listening to a one sided optinion that you get majority of the time from various people in the medical profession.

Generally speaking we are raised to not ask questions and to believe what ever we are told by the Doctors. (i know i was) This is something that over the last 6yrs i have challenged after having a major health issue myself. What medical science couldn't fix, a homeopath did after 6 months of treatment and i have been 100% healthy for the last 4yrs. I did alot of research before i chose to go with natural therapies and it prooved to be the right thing for me. Not everyone agrees and not everyone approved. I did battle with my GP and had a strongly worded conversation with another medico, but in my case i got to proove them wrong.

Vaccines in general is something i am doing alot of research on at the moment with my first baby due in 8 weeks.
As far as the CP vaccine, my nephew had the vaccine but then also got CP twice when he was in primary school???
I am researching not only the vaccines through the Doctors but also the homeopathic vaccines. No vaccine needle or natural vaccine gives anyone 100% immunity.
I am swaying more towards going down the homeopathic road, partly because of the results i had but also because the reading i have done has informed me of what they put in the needle vaccines and how they are made. To be honest what i've read doesn't sit to well with me. I wont go into detail here as i think snippets of information can freak some people out.
I am reading an interesting booklet i got from my GP's office, she is also a naturopath. It's called 'Vaccination, Investigate before you vaccinate: a guide for parents' It is a very interesting read.

In any situation, information and education is key. If you feel you have made an educated decision and are 100% happy with that, which ever way you go, i wish you all the best and for happy healthy children.

Good on you for asking questions and doing the research smile

I went the homeopathic route and am very happy with it. Feel free to PM me anytime, good luck with the birth!!

(PS this post is not intended to start a debate about homeopathic prophylaxis!!!!!)

Good on you for asking questions and doing the research smile

I went the homeopathic route and am very happy with it. Feel free to PM me anytime, good luck with the birth!!

(PS this post is not intended to start a debate about homeopathic prophylaxis!!!!!)

Hi Rosie Mumma,
I was just trying to PM you but it's not working for some reason. Will keep trying, but would love to chat to you more about it.

I don't know why people feel the need to continually argue against trained health professionals about vaccinations. And blame vaccinations for every symptom, illness or ailment under the sun.. RinaMakeup my advice to you is to stop listening to the non vax stories and lies and vaccinate your child for their own good!

I don't know why people feel the need to continually argue against trained health professionals about vaccinations. And blame vaccinations for every symptom, illness or ailment under the sun.. RinaMakeup my advice to you is to stop listening to the non vax stories and lies and vaccinate your child for their own good!

unfortunately some people would rather take something which only has a placebo (sugar pill) effect, is not clinically tested or regulated, has no quality control during its production and is often mixed by people who have no qualifications, than take things which are safe, clinically proven, produced in large, hygienic, high tech labs and which may or may not have rare side effect, which are usually minor.

unfortunately some people would rather take something which only has a placebo (sugar pill) effect, is not clinically tested or regulated, has no quality control during its production and is often mixed by people who have no qualifications, than take things which are safe, clinically proven, produced in large, hygienic, high tech labs and which may or may not have rare side effect, which are usually minor.

It really grinds my gears. I know this topic is not about the MMR vaccine but just using it as an example - there was recently a measles outbreak in Canberra at a school were half the children were not vaccinated. Some of these children got quite seriously Ill. Why would you want to put your children through that by not vaccinating?

It really grinds my gears. I know this topic is not about the MMR vaccine but just using it as an example - there was recently a measles outbreak in Canberra at a school were half the children were not vaccinated. Some of these children got quite seriously Ill. Why would you want to put your children through that by not vaccinating?

yes and those who don't vaccinate are under the impression that their homeopathic concoctions are stopping their kids from getting contagious diseases, when in fact it's the 90% of kids who are vaccinated that are providing them with herd immunity

yes and those who don't vaccinate are under the impression that their homeopathic concoctions are stopping their kids from getting contagious diseases, when in fact it's the 90% of kids who are vaccinated that are providing them with herd immunity

Could not agree with you more!!! Glad there is still some people out there who don't buy into the no vax crap.