# RO: Spreading Disease via the mail **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [November 5, 2011, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ro-spreading-disease-via-the-mail/601917 "2011-11-05T01:55:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2011, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ro-spreading-disease-via-the-mail/601917/1 "2011-11-05T01:55:52Z")
[http://www.kpho.com/story/15896021/cbs-5-investigates-mail-order-diseases](http://www.kpho.com/story/15896021/cbs-5-investigates-mail-order-diseases) " Doctors and medical experts are concerned about a new trend taking place on Facebook. Parents are trading live viruses through the mail in order to infect their children. The Facebook group is called “Find a Pox Party in Your Area.” According to the group’s page, it is geared toward “parents who want their children to obtain natural immunity for the chicken pox.” On the page, parents post where they live and ask if anyone with a child who has the chicken pox would be willing to send saliva, infected lollipops or clothing through the mail." "CBS 5 producers found others asking for more dangerous pathogens. Two people on the Facebook page were looking for measles, mumps, and rubella. " Words fail me. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2011, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ro-spreading-disease-via-the-mail/601917/2 "2011-11-05T02:06:21Z")
But it’s _natural._ :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2011, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ro-spreading-disease-via-the-mail/601917/3 "2011-11-05T02:21:34Z")
Holy shit. Pardon me while I go weep for our future. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2011, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ro-spreading-disease-via-the-mail/601917/4 "2011-11-05T02:26:55Z")
> [@Andy\_L](#): > > The Facebook group is called “Find a Pox Party in Your Area.” According to the group’s page, it is geared toward “parents who want their children to obtain natural immunity for the chicken pox.” And [possible blindness in ~30 years](http://www.everydayhealth.com/shingles/vision-problems.aspx). Way to be short-sighted, there. ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2011, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ro-spreading-disease-via-the-mail/601917/5 "2011-11-05T02:27:41Z")
You’ve got to be kidding me. Why is something “natural” inherently better? Arsenic is natural… Vaccination is one of modern science’s greatest achievements. They throw away what parents 75 years ago would have been delighted with. ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2011, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ro-spreading-disease-via-the-mail/601917/6 "2011-11-05T02:28:34Z")
\*\*Mercutio \*\*-“A pox on both your houses!” **Clueless parent** -“Oh, good! When can you deliver?” \*\*Mercutio \*\*- :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2011, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ro-spreading-disease-via-the-mail/601917/7 "2011-11-05T02:29:54Z")
> [@IvoryTowerDenizen](#): > > Why is something “natural” inherently better? They ain’t vaccines. ---
**Author:** ![appleciders](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85f322/32.png) [@appleciders](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/appleciders)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2011, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ro-spreading-disease-via-the-mail/601917/8 "2011-11-05T03:04:57Z")
I can _almost_ understand this for chicken pox. It’s dumb and it’s riskier than a vaccine\*, but there is a tangible benefit to a healthy child who gets it young, rather than as an adult. Mailing it is unconscionable, of course, because you inadvertently expose dozens of postal workers who are old enough that the disease would be fairly serious, not to mention people who might have impaired immune systems. Doing this for other, stronger, diseases, especially diseases like measles, mumps, and rubella, seems criminal to me. Deliberately infecting someone with a potentially deadly disease can be considered assault or attempted murder, IIRC. The subtext here, of course, is that these parents are avoiding the MMR vaccine, which just makes it even stupider. \*Is there a chicken pox vaccine now? ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2011, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ro-spreading-disease-via-the-mail/601917/9 "2011-11-05T03:08:18Z")
> [@appleciders](#): > > \*Is there a chicken pox vaccine now? Yes. ---
**Author:** ![LavenderBlue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e95f7d/32.png) [@LavenderBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LavenderBlue)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2011, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ro-spreading-disease-via-the-mail/601917/10 "2011-11-05T03:08:20Z")
The lunatic anti-vax contingent needs to find an island and move there. Let those morons infect themselves and leave the rest of us out of it. The idiot posting garbage from rense on that thread should be shipped to the island and denied internet access for the rest of his life. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2011, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ro-spreading-disease-via-the-mail/601917/11 "2011-11-05T03:11:09Z")
> [@appleciders](#): > > \*Is there a chicken pox vaccine now? [There is.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Varicella_vaccine) ---
**Author:** ![LavenderBlue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e95f7d/32.png) [@LavenderBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LavenderBlue)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2011, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ro-spreading-disease-via-the-mail/601917/12 "2011-11-05T03:14:33Z")
> [@appleciders](#): > > I can _almost_ understand this for chicken pox. It’s dumb and it’s riskier than a vaccine\*, but there is a tangible benefit to a healthy child who gets it young, rather than as an adult. Mailing it is unconscionable, of course, because you inadvertently expose dozens of postal workers who are old enough that the disease would be fairly serious, not to mention people who might have impaired immune systems. > > Doing this for other, stronger, diseases, especially diseases like measles, mumps, and rubella, seems criminal to me. Deliberately infecting someone with a potentially deadly disease can be considered assault or attempted murder, IIRC. The subtext here, of course, is that these parents are avoiding the MMR vaccine, which just makes it even stupider. > \*Is there a chicken pox vaccine now? The vaccine works quite well according to a recent study. It has reduced the number of deaths and severe cases of the pox in the kids who get the shots. > [@](#): > > [People Inc. - America's Largest Digital & Print Publisher](http://news.health.com/2011/07/25/chickenpox-vaccine-may-wipe-out-related-deaths-study/) > > MONDAY, July 25 (HealthDay News) — The varicella vaccine has nearly wiped out deaths from chickenpox in the United States, a new study shows. > > The vaccine, introduced in a one-dose form in 1995, has reduced deaths from chickenpox by 88 percent in all age groups and by 97 percent in young people 20 and under, according to the study from the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases. ---
**Author:** ![Kolga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e56c9b/32.png) [@Kolga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolga)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2011, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ro-spreading-disease-via-the-mail/601917/13 "2011-11-05T03:17:06Z")
Christ Jesus on a pogo stick, people are fucking dumb. Honest to goddess, I half expect the next movement to be “Down with Handwashing - let your immune system adjust to shit!” ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2011, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ro-spreading-disease-via-the-mail/601917/14 "2011-11-05T03:27:56Z")
> [@appleciders](#): > > I can _almost_ understand this for chicken pox. It’s dumb and it’s riskier than a vaccine\*, but there is a tangible benefit to a healthy child who gets it young, rather than as an adult. Mailing it is unconscionable, of course, because you inadvertently expose dozens of postal workers who are old enough that the disease would be fairly serious, not to mention people who might have impaired immune systems. > > Doing this for other, stronger, diseases, especially diseases like measles, mumps, and rubella, seems criminal to me. Deliberately infecting someone with a potentially deadly disease can be considered assault or attempted murder, IIRC. The subtext here, of course, is that these parents are avoiding the MMR vaccine, which just makes it even stupider. > \*Is there a chicken pox vaccine now? Yes, for about 16 years in the US and longer elsewhere. ---
**Author:** ![missred](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/missred/32/14096_2.png) [@missred](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/missred)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2011, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ro-spreading-disease-via-the-mail/601917/15 "2011-11-05T03:43:30Z")
Do these boneheads accepting delivery of the pox infected lollies not understand that the person supplying the virus may also be supplying some much nastier bugs as well? Fer Og’s sake, neuter these morons before they multiply further. ---
**Author:** ![Mighty\_Girl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7bcc69/32.png) [@Mighty\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Girl)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2011, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ro-spreading-disease-via-the-mail/601917/16 "2011-11-05T04:07:12Z")
Really, what’s with some people? We should ship them to some hellhole fourth-world country and see how well they do with their precious immune system. ---
**Author:** ![Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hilarity_n.suze/32/6223_2.png) [@Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hilarity_N.Suze)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2011, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ro-spreading-disease-via-the-mail/601917/17 "2011-11-05T04:16:03Z")
Now that is crazy. There was no chicken pox vaccine when I had my first few boys, and there was some merit (even then) in getting all kids in a family infected at once, because then you were over and done with it, and chicken pox usually isn’t that bad. A coworker had three kids, they all three got it, but due to the way in which they got it (one after another, about the time the first was okay to go back to school, the next one got it), she was out of the office for more than three weeks and very nearly lost her job (no FMLA yet, either). So I can kinda see someone say, “Let’s do this and get it over with.” IF THERE WAS NO VACCINE. But now, there is. And you bet my youngest kid got it. I mean, really. While there’s a certain benefit to all your kids getting it at once, there’s a great deal more benefit in NOT GETTING IT AT ALL EVER and you’d think anyone could see this. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2011, 6:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ro-spreading-disease-via-the-mail/601917/18 "2011-11-05T06:15:44Z")
According to the article, someone posted that “This is a federal offense to intentionally mail a contagion” (sic). Please tell me these people can be charged… ---
**Author:** ![Mighty\_Girl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7bcc69/32.png) [@Mighty\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Girl)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2011, 12:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ro-spreading-disease-via-the-mail/601917/19 "2011-11-05T12:12:43Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > According to the article, someone posted that “This is a federal offense to intentionally mail a contagion” (sic). Please tell me these people can be charged… I am going out on a limb here, but I believe that these geniuses don’t know the protocol to ship biological material. This is not much better than mailing anthrax through the mail. They could contaminate somebody that they didn’t intend to and cause their death. I never got chicken pox since my parents practically quarantined me when anyone around had it (wonky immune system due to a condition I had when I was a child), there was no vaccine then. As a result I could get seriously sick now, and am ever so glad that here vaccination is universal and mandatory, my child will not bring it home. Anyway, I am planning to get vaccinated myself soon. ---
**Author:** ![6ImpossibleThingsB4Breakfast](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/6/e19adc/32.png) [@6ImpossibleThingsB4Breakfast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/6ImpossibleThingsB4Breakfast)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2011, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ro-spreading-disease-via-the-mail/601917/20 "2011-11-05T13:12:10Z")
Why mail it? Don’t they know you can email viruses? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ro-spreading-disease-via-the-mail/601917.md?page=2)