We have a chicken pox epidemic in Hornsby Heights! Despite widespread vaccination of children and adults! Is this an argument for doing away with the chicken pox vaccine - let our kids fight the illness naturally?

My second son was never vaccinated as we lived in Holland and they did not believe it necessary. He contracted it while we there and was covered from head to toe in sores and was miserable for two weeks. But he has not contracted this bout of the moment - he must have built up quite an immunity. My first son was vaccinated as we lived here when he was the correct age and he has not contracted this round. Maybe he had a small dose in Amsterdam - caught off his baby brother and I didn't really notice. Or maybe the vaccine worked for him. I would say 80 per cent of reported cases here were vaccinated. And they have it.

I was also vaccinated because I never had it as a child and did not want a nasty adult case.... 

Chicken Pox always used top be a kind of childhhood right of passage. It was never too too damaging and did deliver post illness immunity. Evidently innoculations for some things make alot of sense and as you say as an adult never exposed to it as a child it makes heaps of sense.

For some reason, I never got it when I was young, altho we had a few epidemics in my time....

Don't really think abt it these days 

according to Wikipedia the vaccine is not absolutely effective particularly after 5 years but tests (i.e. prenatal) can indicate a  requirement for re-vaccination.  Most people who are re-infected were immune compromised in the first place: elderly, effected by immuno-suppressant symptoms or drugs such as chemotherapy, etc...people, i.e. children, with eczema are more prone to re-infection too.

 That will be $50 

The vaccination or the advice?

It will cost you another $50 for the clarification. 

Cash or cheque?

I'm not prepared to answer anything else unless one of us disrobes

*dek makes a hasty exit* 

Rira - I am intrigued as to how you can make a topic about chicken pox sexy! You go girl. It must be Friday...

Kasta - You're alluding to my being more than partially in touch with my feminine side, in which case I should remind you that I am the least anatomically correct woman to darken anybody's door since Frank Bruno did pantomime.

I now know this as Mick did refer to you in such a way in another post. Blushing now. I'm sorry!