Small Pox/Chicken Pox, really Dum!!!!

There is an epidemic of chicken pox going aroundl. At least three of my students had it this semester..

Pay attention to it, the scars can be disfiguering!!

HB

Anastacio said:

Anyway, is Smallpox a thing here, I thought Smallpox was a thing of the past.
I have a feeling they don't specify the difference, they both have Pox and so therefore are the same.

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FYI, there has not been a confirmed case of Smallpox (Variola) since 1977. In 1980 the World Health Organization (WHO) recommended that all countries cease immunizing for smallpox. The only known samples of the virus remaining are in two WHO laboratories although there were reports that a Russian lab may have produced additional samples in their biological weapons program.

Chances are the doctor said "varicella" which is chicken pox which appears as fluid filled blister and can be mistaken for infected insect bites.

Hillbilly said:

There is an epidemic of chicken pox going aroundl. At least three of my students had it this semester..

Pay attention to it, the scars can be disfiguering!!

HB

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My boyfriend just finished having them 2 weeks ago... LOL he got pretty sick because it's harder on adults than kids. His brother's 5 kids all had them at the same time and infected him.... he was down for 2 weeks and ended up in the hosptital with the fever...but the kids were just fine. I had it as a adult too when my kids got it. Lots of tylenol to keep the fever down and baths with baking soda or epsom salts are helpful. Gold bond powder and lotion helps with the itching...I found calamine lotion useless but lots of folks swear by it...

Aloe vera gel is better than calamine.

My son (10) got chickenpox when we were visiting my parents last year even though he had been vaccinated in the DR as a toddler.

The vaccine is recommended by the AMA so DR doctors offer it. In the UK/Europe, however, it is not common so he must have caught it somehow - the vaccine does have a slight failure rate or it may have been an old, less effective batch.

Count yourself (and your daughter) lucky, Anastacio. My husband says he was bathed in urine when he had chickenpox as a child.

Chirimoya said:

Aloe vera gel is better than calamine.

Count yourself (and your daughter) lucky, Anastacio. My husband says he was bathed in urine when he had chickenpox as a child.

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As awful as that sounds, it makes sense to stop the itching....if you look at the main ingredient in products like afterbite it's amonia...burns like hell but it works....

Is the vaccination useless?!? All of my children (except the baby) have been vaccinated against Chickenpox. Why is it a mandatory vaccination if it doesn't keep them from getting them?

Shalena

AlterEgo said:

The best thing we found for our kids when they had chickenpox [or any other rash, for that matter] was oatmeal baths suggested by a nurse friend of mine. I took an old nylon stocking [knee-hi's work best, or just cut the lower leg off old pantyhose] and put a cup of regular oatmeal from the box inside, knotted the end, and put it in the water. As they soak you can use it like a sponge all over the affected area, it gets very milky and the nylon is so soft and soothing too.

Helped a lot!

Outbreaks come in groups, we moms used to take turns keeping the kids at one house at a time so the other moms could go to work. Such joy.

I must be immune - my brother got it so bad it was in his mouth, between his toes, under eyelids, etc, and I never got it back then or when both my kids got it.

AE

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Don't tell too many people that or AVEENO might come after you! They sell oatmeal bath for an arm and a leg!

SHALENA

SKing said:

Is the vaccination useless?!? All of my children (except the baby) have been vaccinated against Chickenpox. Why is it a mandatory vaccination if it doesn't keep them from getting them?

Shalena

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Great point, I was vaccinated as a child but got it when I was 21 and my children as well got chicken pox when 3 and 4year olds, so go figure.

awwwh Alterego I am so doing that oatmeal scrub thing for myself........sounds divine...

My son's case was very mild.

This is what it says in Wikipedia about the vaccine's effectiveness:

The long-term duration of protection from varicella vaccine is unknown, but there are now persons vaccinated more than thirty years ago with no evidence of waning immunity, while others have become vulnerable in as few as 6 years. Assessments of duration of immunity are complicated in an environment where natural disease is still common, which typically leads to an overestimation of effectiveness, and we are only now entering an era in the U.S. where the long-term efficacy of varicella vaccine can be accurately gauged.

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Also, why it is not practiced in the UK:

Population-based immunization against varicella is not otherwise practiced in the UK. It is feared that there would be a greater number of cases of shingles in adults, until the vaccination was given to the entire population—because adults who have had chickenpox as a child are less likely to have shingles in later life if they have been exposed occasionally to the chickenpox virus (for example by their children). This is because the exposure acts as a booster vaccine.

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Varicella vaccine - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

SKing said:

Is the vaccination useless?!? All of my children (except the baby) have been vaccinated against Chickenpox. Why is it a mandatory vaccination if it doesn't keep them from getting them?

Shalena

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My daughter teaches at a Montessori school and it's mandatory for the staff to get this vaccine. The doc told her it doesn't work for everyone 100% of the time but it signifigantly lowers the risk of getting a serious case of it... there's no 100% effective vaccines out there...they work for most but not all... even birth control doesn't work 100% of the time LOL

SKing said:

Don't tell too many people that or AVEENO might come after you! They sell oatmeal bath for an arm and a leg!

SHALENA

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I remember the aveno days, when me and all 4 kids got the pox LOL the bathtub was fun to clean out after that....

Not to beat a dead horse with this post, but just thinking back on when my kids had chicken pox. Be really careful (I know its almost impossible) to keep them from scratching too much. My son, Brandon was 3 years old at the time and he scratched so much that his pox became open wounds very inflamed and infected. He had them inside his ear canals, in every oraface even inside his throat and eye lids. He ended up in the Children's Hospital with the worst case they'd ever seen in Ontario. They thought he was at risk of developping the flesh eating virus because it enters the bloodstream in that manner....we all have bacteria on the skin and under the nails...especially children...so it's important to bathe often in stuff that takes away the itch and keeps the skin clean..

There is major confusion in this country between varicela and vireula (spelling might be off on these, sorry). Many times, varicela (chickenpox) is referred to as vireula (smallpox) here in the DR. I am not sure why, perhaps the similarity in spelling, pronunciation and/or general confusion.

The chickenpox make their way around the city of Santiago every spring, slowly spreading their way through the schools and taking a lot of kids out during final exam week, great timing! Typically the bumps appear first on the stomach or back, then begin to spread over the body. If caught early, you can get a pill (do not know the name) from your doctor to lessen the severity of the illness. An adult friend of mine recently did this and ended up with only abour 15 spots, in total. Since varicela is a form of herpes zoster, the virus lays dormant in your body for up to 2 weeks before the spots become visible. Those infected are contagious during this two-week period as well as 10-14 days after the spots come out. Most doctors will tell you to lay low at home for 2 weeks, in order to avoid spreading this itchy little beast.

If a young one contracts it, put socks on their hands to prevent major itching and scarring as well as infection, strip them down to their undies to avoid irritation caused by clothing, and stick them in front of a fan (feels good!). Taking baths with oatmeal and baking soda can be helpful as well as applying calamine and or a paste made from baking soda and water. Anti-allergy pills are good for the itching and even little ones can take low doses of benadryl. Tylenol is good for the occasional fevers that it brings. Other than that, rest, relaxation, and lots of fluids are helpful as well. Sulphuric soap is good to use on the scars once the virus is gone, although beware of the stinky smell!

The vaccine does not prevent the virus, it only lessens the severity. There is no reason to keep your kids away from the virus, as most are bound to get it at some point and it is better to have it at a younger age when it is deemed less risky.

As for the Vicks, if it isnt hurting anybody, let them rub it all over the place. This is all mind over matter and in the end, does it really matter....? At least their sinuses will be clear!

AlterEgo said:

The best thing we found for our kids when they had chickenpox [or any other rash, for that matter] was oatmeal baths suggested by a nurse friend of mine. I took an old nylon stocking [knee-hi's work best, or just cut the lower leg off old pantyhose] and put a cup of regular oatmeal from the box inside, knotted the end, and put it in the water. As they soak you can use it like a sponge all over the affected area, it gets very milky and the nylon is so soft and soothing too.

Helped a lot!

Outbreaks come in groups, we moms used to take turns keeping the kids at one house at a time so the other moms could go to work. Such joy.

I must be immune - my brother got it so bad it was in his mouth, between his toes, under eyelids, etc, and I never got it back then or when both my kids got it.

AE

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This just reminded me of one other thing that I love about being here.. NO POISON IVY!!!

I used to get it every year as a kid, so bad that my face was blistered.. and I had to sleep with white cotton gloves (but I think that this was well before cortisone..)


then in the mountains of North Carolina.. yeaks.. I remember folks who would suggest eating the baby leaves in spring time but that was always too much for me..

I would think that cortisone cream might help with the itch of chicken pox as well, no? I had chicken pox along with my brother as a kid.. remember standing on a newspaper and having Mom put on the calamine lotion with cotton.. but I really never thought the calamine did much good.

(and there are no poisonous snakes here.. which after living in copperhead country was a great plus and one of the drawbacks of Costa Rica)

Knock on wood, none of my kids have had the Chickenpox...ages 17, 11, and 8.

SHALENA