We were just discussing this in GD a while ago–or was it GQ? I’ll just sit back and wait for that histrionic nurse to come in here and give anecdotes of death by chicken pox and tell me how I’m a child abuser for daring to question the motives behind the vaccine’s development.
When she comes in and posts, I’m in on this discussion, with relish.
But yes, I loathe that add. Statistics out of context, designed to scare. The one I keep seeing is the frowning little rubber ducky, oh so sad about another kid biting the dust.
I’m all for the varicella vaccine. And I don’t mind the scare tactics they use in the commercial, because it might get some parents to consider vaccinating their kids. I know a lot of parents who purposely expose their kids to other children with chicken pox, so they “won’t get it when they’re older.” They claim that they would rather not let their kids be a “guinea pig” for a new, unecessary vaccine.
This is irrational, however, since the dangers of contracting chicken pox are well documented (although I don’t think many parents are aware of these complications, hence the commercial). As far as I know, there is no scientific evidence that the immunity gained from the vaccine wears off more quickly than from actually suffering with the disease. Even so, I’d much rather get shots every few years than have to deal with permanent pock-marks for the rest of my life, and the possibility of getting shingles someday.
The varicella-zoster vaccine is a live attenuated vaccine, meaning that it contains all the same parts as the normal virus, but can’t muster up enough strength to cause any great damage, but does elicit a protective immune response. Like the normal virus, the vaccine may establish latency in a patient’s nerve cells, and like the normal virus, it may be reactivated later on and cause shingles.
Studies show that the incidence and severity of shingles among vaccinated people is less than among those infected “naturally.” I don’t know how long these studies have been going on or how big a cohort they had, but these would have to be very long-term studies seeing as how shingles only appears much later after initial infection/vaccination.
Since the vaccine only protects against infection, and since shingles is caused not by re-INFECTION but by re-ACTIVATION, getting the vaccine after having had chicken pox would not prevent shingles.
I just wanted to point this out, not to influence anyone either way, just the facts.
I came across a good point though earlier…
Seeing though as how the main motivation for vaccination is the prevention of getting chicken pox as an adult (which is quite serious), why not wait it out until the child is a teen, and if they haven’t gotten chicken pox by then, then vaccinate them??
When I was a kid my parents would practically rub my brother and me against other kids with the pox. I got it when I was really young, but the boy took forever. They were talking about vaccinating him, but then he finally got a really mild case. I think that’s the way to go, if you don’t catch it as a kid, get the shot. It’s more dangerous when you’re all grown up, anyway.