A pox on your house

When is winter going to end? Winter, with all that it has wrought and brought this year, has been tough as a stay at home mom of a baby. There is the snow. There is the cold. There is the ice. There is the sickness. Oh, the sickness.

It seems as if Henry's tally of sick vs. healthy days this winter has been skewed to the former. And a recent threat of chicken pox is about to push me over the edge! He was apparently, accidentally exposed to the virus at our baby and toddler story time this week. An unknowing mother brought her pox ridden child to the story hour, and sat him in the circle of our small, closed room. I can practically see the highly contagious spores of varicella virus swirling in the air, making their way to my poor, soon-to-be vaccinated child. You see, the CDC, AAP, and AAFP now all advise vaccinating children against chicken pox for the first time between 12 and 15 months of age. Henry is now 11 months old (more about that later). The child in question at story hour is, I believe, either 14 or 15 months old, which makes me wonder about his vaccination status. Was he vaccinated, and somehow still contracted the disease? Or did his mother opt out, as do an increasing number of parents today?

Which brings me to my soapbox. Upon which I rarely stand. You probably didn't even know I had a soapbox. But I'm in the midst of a 10-20 day incubation period, during which I must wait to find out if Henry has chicken pox. And after the 10-20 day incubation period, I may just have to deal with the chicken pox themselves. Sure, it probably wouldn't be the end of the world if he did contract chicken pox. In most kids his age, it's typically pretty mild. But when there's a vaccine for this, I don't want to have to worry about it. I realize that most parents (especially all the wonderful, caring parents I know) make what they feel to be the best decision for their child. And it is every parent's right to make these decisions, including in regard to vaccinations. In fact, I myself did a fair amount of research and reading into the current hot topic of vaccines. I also considered an alternate vaccination schedule, and weighed out the pros and cons of specific vaccines. In the end, the research I did and the conversation I had with Henry's pediatrician led me to conclude that the current, AAP recommended vaccination schedule was the way to go. Whenh I made this decision, I also bore in mind the public health issues related to vaccination. Because really, it's not just a personal, family decision. It is a matter of public health and responsibility. Diseases that have been nearly erradicated by strict adherence to the vaccine schedules pop up again at alarming rates when often unsubstantiated fears cause parents to refuse physician recommended vaccines. For example, measles has been making a comeback in the UK as a result of lower vaccination rates. The drop-off in vaccination rates was related to an unsubtantiated link between the MMR vaccine and autism. So, I will just say this: do your research; make your best decision for your child; but remember that it's not just a decision about your child, but the health of society as a whole. 'Nuf said.