A Dozen Duggars Sick with the Chickenpox

[mzteris]

Haven't these idiots ever heard of the damn vaccine against chickenpox? Oh wait, they've never even heard of BIRTH CONTROL!



In the video, father Jim Bob Duggar explains how the outbreak started with daughter Johanna. One thing led to another, and now 12 of the kids are sporting itchy red spots.

What makes the story all the more impressive (or maybe terrifying is the right word) is that Jim Bob is handling the crisis without his partner in crime. Wife Michelle is with their littlest child, newborn Josie, in Little Rock, Arkansas.

The mom wisely thought it best to keep the little one away from the infestation. (but no thought given to vaccinating the other children to protect this one. Good god they're stupid!!!!!!!) As followers of the Duggar saga are no doubt aware, Josie was born prematurely at just 25 weeks. To help her grow and fight off illness, she has to live in "a little bubble" for the first two years of her life.


edit add link: http://tv.yahoo.com/blog/a-dozen-duggars-sick-with-the-chickenpox--1485

[joeybee12]

1. Stupid people...and they're exposing other children to this disease

as well...on second thought, they probably don't even let their kids mingle with anyone outside the family, so maybe not. Still, they are idiots of the highest order.

[Sheepshank]

2. So I'm guessing they are not all up on their immunizations?

are they 'those' tyes of parents or just have a hard time keeping up with the immunization schedules?

[mzteris]

5. "those types", I'm sure...

quiver full and all that crap. "GAWD" will take care of them doncha know? :eyes:

[WolverineDG]

3. Let's see: an immunization that wears off after 10 years v. life-time immunity

which would I pick? :think:

dg

[mzteris]

6. let's see - risk death, blindness, mental retardation -

or get a damn booster in ten years?!?

[WolverineDG]

7. That happens in very rare cases nt

[mzteris]

12. oh - okay - so "those people" are just SOL,

I see.

MAYO CLINIC:

Chickenpox is normally a mild disease. But it can be serious and can lead to complications, especially in these high-risk groups:

* Newborns and infants whose mothers never had chickenpox or the vaccine
* Teenagers
* Adults
* Pregnant women
* People whose immune systems are impaired by medication, such as chemotherapy, or another disease
* People who are taking steroid medications for another disease or condition, such as children with asthma
* People with the skin inflammation eczema

A common complication of chickenpox is a bacterial infection of the skin. Chickenpox may also lead to pneumonia or, rarely, an inflammation of the brain (encephalitis), both of which can be very serious.

******

What complications can result from chickenpox?

Although most people recover from chickenpox uneventfully or with a few minor scars, a small percentage suffer more serious complications. Each year in the United States, 4,000 to 9,000 persons are hospitalized with chickenpox, and up to 100 persons die. Those at highest risk for complications are newborns, persons with weakened immune systems, and adults. Although adults make up fewer than 5% of chickenpox cases in the United States, they account for half of the deaths from the disease.

The most common complications of chickenpox are skin infections and pneumonia. Other complications are encephalitis (inflammation of the brain) and hepatitis. Chickenpox can also lead to severe problems in pregnant women, causing stillbirths, birth defects, or infection of the newborn during childbirth.



**********

Bacterial Infection
The most common complication of chickenpox is secondary bacterial infection of the chickenpox lesions. The bacteria most likely to cause infection are Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus pyogenes. The bacteria most commonly cause infections such as impetigo, furunculosis, cellulitis, erysipelas, and lymphadenitis. These infections are superficial, but there is a risk of the bacteria invading the bloodstream and causing bacteremia. People who develop bacteremia are at risk of developing bacterial pneumonia, meningitis, arthritis, osteomyelitis, sepsis, shock, and death. Chickenpox lesions that are secondarily infected should be treated with antibiotics.

Neurologic Complications
The second most common complication of chickenpox involves the neurological system. One of these disorders is called acute cerebellar ataxia which causes progressive irritability, difficulty walking, difficulty with vision, and speech disturbances that persist for days or weeks but normally clear completely over time. Another neurologic complication is varicella meningoencephalitis which causes sudden but transient delirium, seizures, headache, sensitivity to light, and neck pain. These symptoms usually resolve after 24 to 72 hours.

Respiratory Complications
The leading cause of varicella-related morbidity and mortality in adults, pregnant women, and people with compromised immune systems is varicella pneumonia. Approximately 1 in 400 adults who develop chickenpox are hospitalized for varicella pneumonia. Varicella pneumonia is caused by the spread of the virus in the bloodstream to the lungs. Risk factors for developing this complication include:

* Contracting chickenpox at an older age
* A rash that involves a larger number of lesions
* A compromised immune system
* Pregnancy (especially in the third trimester)
* Smoking
* Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)

Liver Complications
A common complication of chickenpox is a transient hepatitis, or inflammation of the liver. This does not usually cause symptoms and resolves on its own. However, Reye's syndrome is a life-threatening condition that causes liver failure in association with aspirin administration for a viral illness. The incidence of Reye's syndrome has dramatically decreased as parents have learned not to give their children aspirin for a fever.

[Gormy Cuss]

16. "Chickenpox is normally a very mild disease."

That would be how most Americans over the age of 30 remember it. Although the list of complications sounds really scary it was more of an inconvenient illness than a serious health threat.

However, it's quite likely that at least two if not three of the higher risk groups are present in the Duggar clan:

* Newborns and infants whose mothers never had chickenpox or the vaccine
* Teenagers
* Pregnant women

The mother left with the fragile infant but it would be too much to hope that it actually scared her or her husband into rethinking anything other than the TV shoot.

[Posteritatis]

19. It's interesting how our definition of mild/serious diseases has changed

Basically, in how it's harder and harder to see something in the former category and easier to see it in the latter, even if nothing's changed, even if the 'serious' disease has become trivial to treat or prevent.

Adult cases notwithstanding, it's certainly more of an inconvenience than many other common diseases in this day and age, but - as a Canadian just under 30, anyway - I have trouble viewing it as something other than just that, a big inconvenience. Obviously it's dangerous in the categories you'd mentioned (my brother was one of the "lucky" people who got it twice, the second time when he was finishing high school), and it's certainly a big risk in the Duggar hive. I know there's odds of complications in all populations that catch it, but I have trouble at times parsing that through my This Is A Routine Thing filters.

Anyway, I'm roundabouting it, but it's only fairly recently that it's become seen as a really big deal overall and not just something most kids are expected to go through. I find some of the hysteria about it to be, well, hysteria, but I don't know if I would if I was ten or fifteen years younger, or less aware of how those things go historically. Either way, we're in a day and age where a mild, fairly contagious illness with some odds of complications - or, looking back to the Hamthrax epidemic last year, a moderately nasty, fairly contagious illness with lower chances of worse complications - are seen as terrifying plagues in the same way that someone would have looked at smallpox in the 1600s, or the Black Death three centuries before.

Part of that is overreaction, of course, but a good chunk of it is that hygiene and medicine in general have gotten us used to such a high standard of health that smaller and smaller deviations away from it are seen as more and more unacceptable, even frightening. It wasn't that long ago when epidemics that regularly carried away tens of millions were almost routine, and these days, in a vastly larger society, epidemics that, with a fairly tiny mortality rate, "merely" sicken hundreds of thousands - or in some cases, thousands, or even hundreds - are eracted to with almost the same level of fear and anxiety as their inconceivably worse predecessors.

I dunno. Part of that's emotional reactions on our part in an increasingly safe age, but I also think it's pretty damned neat that our health standards - and, more importantly, our ability to enforce those standards generally - are getting to the point where we can feel justified in those sorts of reactions.

So in my own case, I look back on my own chicken pox experience - whacked by it right before Christmas, some moderate but not dangerous complications that had me flattened for a month with some scarring - with a kind of "meh" reaction. At the same time though, I understand why the reactions to things like this are moving in the direction they are. Given the implications behind why those reactions get to be taken seriously, never mind become popular, I definitely hope the trend continues.

[Gormy Cuss]

20. I've thought about it in a similar way.

Chickenpox was never held out as a serious disease until there was a vaccination available. I remember quite clearly reading articles debating whether mandating the vaccination was warranted given that the disease had low risks of complications provided that it was contracted as a young child. There were also some studies that suggested that incidences of shingles were lower in adult who had ongoing exposure to chickenpox (I don't know if there are more recent studies contradicting that finding, but it would be interesting to see if shingles rates are up now that so many children have been vaccinated.)

It's too bad that some vaccinations require dependence on long interval booster shots to remain effective. In Canada, where health care access is easier, getting the population to participate in comprehensive vaccination programs is a bit easier. In the states there are many who don't have access or who can't afford ongoing boosters and that leaves them open to these simple childhood diseases at a time when they're at higher risk.

[dflprincess]

57. My chicken pox appeared on Christman Eve too!

I was 8 and, being a heathen even then, really enjoyed that I didn't have to go Mass Christmas Day. I was itchy, but not especially sick so for the first time ever, I got to stay home alone with my Christmas gifts while my parents and brother went to Mass. I did not think having them during the rest of Christmas break was cool, especially as I was not very sick and was more put out than anything else that I had to stay home.

There aren't many vaccines I'd skip if I had a child young enough to need them, but chicken pox is one I'd think twice about.

[mzteris]

34. inconvenient for most - deadly for some . . .

but that's okay, I suppose. They're just a minority group of folks.

[Gormy Cuss]

41. The rate of mortality was very low. That's not the reason the varicella vaccine was adopted.

Chickenpox incidence was nearly universal. The rate from the 1980s was about 1500 cases per 100,000 people per year. During that same time the average annual deaths were about 100 (not 100 per 100,000 -- 100 in total.)

Varicella vaccine approval was based more on the rate of complications and on the loss of productivity and other economic costs.

[mzteris]

42. what was the rate of incidence for

miscarriages and birth defects or the other side-effects that might not "kill" you, but makes you wish it did?

[Gormy Cuss]

45. You can probably find that by searching CDC publications. n/t

[KittyWampus]

55. Vaccines are deadly for some or disfiguring for some. That's hard science-

but it's weird how some just pretend that isn't the case.

[mzteris]

65. not weird . . . sad most definitely.

And quite frankly, very disappointing to see DU'ers saying they don't care that others might get hurt or die because they failed to vaccinate their children. Ok - so MAYBE the "odds" are long, but do they really want to be the one responsible for their neighbor lady to miscarriage, or have a child with birth defects??? Or cause the guy they ran into in the grocery store - who's HIV positive - to DIE because they couldn't be BOTHERED to get their child vaccinated??


And I remember the chickenpox - it was one of the most miserable experiences of my entire life - I would NEVER EVER EVER make my child go through something like that if it could be avoided!

[depakid]

102. Well, that post explains a lot

[dflprincess]

58. "Newborns and infants whose mothers never had chickenpox or the vaccine"

Given Michelle's age, odds are she had the chicken pox. Though it was still a good idea to remove the baby from the house.

[Gormy Cuss]

60. Teens and pregnant women

There's a passel of Duggar teens and the odds that Michelle is pregnant again? Probably pretty good.

[mzteris]

66. the baby was a preemie and is at risk - she evidently LIVES

separately from the family. One article said she had to "live in a bubble" for her first two years of life. (though maybe that'll help mommy keep from getting preggers again so soon. That woman is sick sick sick sick SICK!!!)

[dflprincess]

69. I had my mom at the doctors last week and saw a "People" magazine with a Duggar cover story

"We're ready for more"

My mom and another elderly woman got into a discussion about "those people" being nuts and maybe Planned Parenthood needed to start making house calls. They also agreed that you can't be a good parent with that many kids because they don't get the attention they need & expecting older siblings to parent younger ones just isn't right.

[WolverineDG]

22. That's right, shit happens

Given the hysteria present in this thread, I suppose it was only a miracle from God that anyone over the age of 30 survived childhood. :eyes:

In case you missed it, the family was already protecting the newborn. So it doesn't matter if the others had the vaccine or not.

dg

[mzteris]

35. and what about the other people they come into contact with?

They're just "unlucky" if a pregnant mom gets exposed? Or some immunocompromised person?

How selfish does one have to be to forego a simple vaccination that could save lives and other trauma?

[WolverineDG]

43. Now you're really flying around the room

Back when people actually used their brains instead of "what if"-ing themselves into a catatonic state, if someone had a contagious disease, they stayed at home & away from school. Or, like in my family, if the kids get the measles while Mom is pregnant, off they went to Grandma's house. Covering your mouth when you cough or sneeze, washing your hands, using a tissue to blow your nose, etc, was considered common courtesy & taught to kids from a very young age.

How selfish is it of YOU to demand someone not have a choice of lifetime immunity or not?

dg

[mzteris]

44. problem is - you're contagious before you know you're sick.

Ooops- sorry, I infected you with my disease. . . . is that it? What do you have against a simple gd vaccination that could possibly SAVE SOMEONE's LIFE??

You only need TWO - COUNT'EM - TWO SHOTS. Period. You're putting out completely FALSE information that can - and probably does - kill people. Even if ONLY ONE dies because of your lies, THAT is NOT okay with me.

[WolverineDG]

51. I'm not lying. You are the one who is overreacting

Chicken pox IS a relatively mild disease. Once you get it, you get lifetime immunity. The vaccine CLAIMS to give the same, but it has been around for less than 20 years, so forgive me for not putting any faith into those claims. What is known is that getting chicken pox as an adult is much much worse than getting it as a child.

When almost every kid got this disease, there was no concern about pregnant women being around them. Why? BECAUSE THEY'D HAD IT THEMSELVES AS CHILDREN AND WERE IMMUNE!


dg

[mzteris]

67. when you claim that boosters don't work, you're either lying

or perpetuating false information. You've been corrected repeatedly, yet you still keep saying that - ergo - . . .


The VACCINE has been around for over THIRTY YEARS....

[WolverineDG]

79. You have obviously lost your mind nt

[mzteris]

80. you obviously don't like the truth about the vaccines being posted.

[WolverineDG]

106. You obviously like to get hysterical over mild childhood diseases

and conveniently ignore the fact that children who get the vaccine have a higher risk of getting shingles as children.

dg

[dflprincess]

59. If person A infects person B with chickenpox,

wouldn't that mean that person B apparently hasn't been vaccinated either?

[mzteris]

68. immuno-compromised people cannot be vaccinated. n/t

[KittyWampus]

56. What the other poster forgets is that some of those getting vaccinated also have bad shit happen

[mzteris]

70. Extremely rare.

More so than complications from the disease itself.

And WTF would you want any child to have to f'ing SUFFER through the gd disease when they could avoid it? I remember chickenpox and it was one of the most awful miserable experiences of my entire life. I'd never ever put my child through something like that if it could be avoided. What parent wants their kid to suffer?????

[uncommon]

88. It is also extremely rare to die from chickenpox.

[mzteris]

95. but death is kinda permanent, isn't it?

[Arugula Latte]

53. If you're the person it happens to being a "rare" case is little comfort.

[mzteris]

71. Exactly.

If their child is immuno- compromised and can't get the vaccine - and gets exposed and has even "minimal" complications - I think they'd be singing a different tune.

[Sheepshank]

8. exactly...booster comes along about the same time as other boosters, rubella etc....all serious n/t

[ingac70]

10. Still much to risk....

given the fragile state of their youngest.

[WolverineDG]

11. Obviously

:eyes:

You know, way back when, before everyone started worshiping children like gods & freaking out over everything in sight, parents were able to take care of very small children while their others had the run-of-the-mill childhood diseases. Often this meant getting farmed out to grandma, aunt, or neighborhood friend.


dg

[provis99]

14. they've got a good chance of getting shingles in later life, now.

I take it you're happy about that, too.

[WolverineDG]

21. Overreact much?

Just about everyone in my age group, including me, can get shingles because we had chicken pox as kids. At least we don't have to worry about getting a booster (which may or may not work)every 5 years of our lives.

:eyes:

dg

[hedgehog]

31. Did you know that you can get a vaccination to prevent shingles?

http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vpd-vac/shingles/vac-faqs.htm

My MIL ended up with permanent scarring on her corneas after a shingles flare - believe me I'll be getting that shot when I near 60!

[Roon]

40. I didn't know that!

I got the shingles in a period when my immune system was really weak and I don't ever want to go through that again! They aren't sure, but they think that bell's palsy is also a by-product of the chicken pox.

[hedgehog]

48. I'm not sure if the vaccine works once you've been hit by shingles -

check with your doctor and good luck!

[Roon]

50. Thanks!

I will talk with my PA.

[dflprincess]

74. The Mayo Clinic says you can get it even if you've had shingles

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/shingles-vaccine/AN01738

I get a kick out of Mayo's article because the first line reads:

"Whether they've had shingles or not, adults age 60 and older should get the shingles vaccine (Zostavax), according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention" (later it says not to get it before age 60)

And the last line of who should NOT get the vaccine is:

"■ Are pregnant or trying to become pregnant".

I say if you are 60 or older and are trying to get pregnant you've got bigger problems than shingles.

[redwitch]

90. Michelle Duggar will be having #38 at the age of 60.

:-)

[dflprincess]

97. By 60 there aren't very many women who wouldn't need some heavy duty

hormone supplements to ovulate and even then the odds a small. Hopefully, Jim Bob & Michelle will accept menopause as a sign from God that it's time to stop. (Maybe Jim Bob will then dump Michelle for a younger woman with funcitoning ovaries).

[Jennicut]

92. My parents got that shot, while my little ones got the chickenpox vaccine.

[mzteris]

37. Misinformation about boosters....

Here's the truth:

The varicella vaccine is given in a series of shots. The first shot is usually given to a child who is 12 to 15 months old. The booster shot is then given at 4 to 6 years of age, or at least 3 months after the first dose.

If you are at least 13 years old and you have never had chickenpox or received this vaccine, you should receive two varicella virus vaccines at least 28 days apart.

Read more: http://www.drugs.com/mtm/varicella-virus-chickenpox-vaccine.html#ixzz0xHkKicLj


That's it. That's all. Not every five years. Not every ten years.


Here's more:


Recommendations for the Vaccine in Children. The vaccine against chickenpox is now recommended in the U.S. for all children between the ages of 12 months and adolescence who have not yet had chickenpox. Children are given 2 doses of the vaccine. The first dose is recommended at age 12-15 months. The second dose should be given at 4 - 6 years. However, doses can be as little as 28 days apart (note that the ideal minimum time for children under 13 years is 3 months). To date, more than 75% of children have been vaccinated.


Healthy adults without a known history of chickenpox, and who do not show immunity through testing, should receive 2 doses of the vaccine. Special attention should be given to the following groups:

* Older people without a history of chickenpox and who are at high risk of exposure or transmission (such as hospital or day care workers and parents of young children)
* People who live or work in environments in which viral transmission is likely
* Nonpregnant women of childbearing age
* Adolescents and adults living in households with children
* International travelers

As with other live-virus vaccines, the chickenpox vaccine is not recommended for the following people:

* Pregnant women (including the 3 months prior to pregnancy).
* People whose immune systems are compromised by disease or drugs (such as after organ transplantation). The vaccine is being studied, however, for its safety in some of these patients, particularly children with cancer or other high-risk conditions. An inactivated varicella vaccine may be safe and effective in patients undergoing bone marrow transplants, when given before and after the operation.

[Odin2005]

25. You pick having Shingles later in life?

That virus stays stuck in the DNA of your nerve cells till you die.

[WolverineDG]

27. versus not having lifetime immunity from chicken pox

which is way worse if you get it as an adult? Yes.

dg

[mzteris]

46. THIS IS NOT TRUE

You only need two shots.

[Odin2005]

49. Don't confuse him with facts.

Remember that study that keeps getting posted about how giving people facts just reinforces their wrongheaded beliefs?

[WolverineDG]

61. Fact: Chicken pox is a mild disease if caught as a child

Fact: Getting chickenpox as an adult is very very serious, sometimes fatal.
Fact: Getting chicken pox as a child gives you life-long immunity.
Fact: the chicken pox vaccine *claims* to do the same, but has yet to be proven true (and as pointed out in this thread, someone's kids got chicken pox AFTER getting this Holy Grail of a vaccine).

Now I can see where you guys might be over a barrel since no one in your age group got chicken pox. You're tethered to a lifetime of wondering if you really are immune & getting boosters & in general, overreacting to complications of a disease that are exceedingly rare in comparison to the *REALLY* bad diseases like scarlet fever, whooping cough, measles, mumps, & polio. Now THOSE are diseases worth getting all bent out of shape over when people refuse to get vaccinated for them.

And while you're flying around the room over a mild disease like chicken pox, I really, truly hope you are advocating a return to mandatory small pox vaccinations, since there are still live strains in existence. You want to lose your mind over a disease? Do it over small pox.

dg

[Odin2005]

62. LOL!

:eyes:

[mzteris]

72. WRONG WRONG WRONG

My ex husband had chicken pox THREE TIMES. So much for "life-long immunity", eh?

Getting chicken pox for SOME CHILDREN can be fatal and/or have other serious complications

The vaccine DOES do the same for the most part. Some people can and do "get" chicken pox after the vaccine, but it is usually a very mild case (and usually people who forgot their second shot).
\

*I* had the chicken pox, my oldest daughter had the chicken pox. It was an awful, miserable, terrible experience. I remember what it was like and what parent would EVER wWANT their child to suffer like that? I'm sorry, I would never ever intentionally put MY CHILDREN through such hell if there is ANY alternative available, and I am appalled, and shocked, that some people do. How could you do that?

When I read of it, my older son was about 1 - I called his ped immediately - it wasn't approved yet. I called in three months, it was approved, but they didn't have it. I called every single month until they did and IMMEDIATELY scheduled him for the vaccine.

Just like I vaccinate them against measles and polio and mumps and tetanus, and meningitis and any other damn vaccine out there. To not vaccinate your children is gross negligence not only for them, but against society at large.

[dflprincess]

75. Other skin rashes are sometimes misdiagnosed as chickenpox

It's possible your husband was misdiagnosed 2 out of 3 times - especially if Dr. Mom was doing the diagnosing. I didn't see a doctor when I had chickenpox and I don't believe my nieces or nephews did either. All the moms just knew they were going around and when the pediatricians were called they really didn't want the little darlings in the waiting room unless they starte running awfully high fevers.

http://www.wrongdiagnosis.com/c/chickenpox/misdiag.htm

Chickenpox can also be confused with other infectious diseases that cause a rash, such as measles, roseola, and German measles.

In addition, a diagnosis of chickenpox may be delayed or overlooked because people who have undergone chickenpox vaccination may believe that they will not get chickenpox. However, it is possible that a person who has had chickenpox vaccination may still get chickenpox, but the disease is generally far milder and the duration is shorter.

[mzteris]

76. he has a weird immune system...

His blood is being on file with the NIHS and SF School of Medicine . . .

which in the long run is a good thing. He should have DIED years and years ago, but he just keeps going... (Diagnosed HIV and Hep-C back in the late 80's . . . ) I tell him he didn't die yet cause he's so damn mean! lol

edit typo

[WolverineDG]

77. puh-leeze

Check out the mortality rates for the other diseases before going BSC over chicken pox. It is not "gross negligence" to not vaccinate your child for chicken pox. Mumps, measles, polio, yes. Chicken pox, no.

dg

[mzteris]

78. Tell the parent whose child died that...

Or the woman who miscarried or had a child with birth defects that, m'kay?

edit

[AnnieBW]

107. I got shingles, but never had chickenpox

Weird, I know. I was exposed, but never got chickenpox. :shrug:

[Xithras]

26. Yep, none of my kids got the CP vaccine

All had the disease by age 8, and are now immunized for a lifetime. No harm done, just a week of the "itchies".

[Odin2005]

63. They will thank you for Shingles later in life, I'm sure.

[dflprincess]

82. Assuming they get shingles

most people do not.

Though my youngest niece had them recently. As far as anyone knows she never had chickenpox, but she did get the vaccine.

[mzteris]

73. aren't you and they lucky

that that's all it was for them...

Ever wonder who they may have infected unknowingly and how it may have turned out for them? Maybe that pregnant lady ahead of you in line in the supermarket that day they were whining and just not "feeling good" . . .

[AnArmyVeteran]

4. Somehow the OP title sounds like a lead-in to a question on 'Are You Smarter Than 5th Grader'

[mzteris]

38. and evidently lots of people aren't . . . :( n/t

[depakid]

104. Not only that, but like Glen Beck, they insist on sounding off like nutters and fools

[City Lights]

9. Are the camera crews getting it all on film?

Some people think this makes good teevee.

[Swede]

13. walk into a bar............

[frogmarch]

15. :-) nt

[gbate]

17. Who cares? Kids get chickenpox all the time. I don't see the outrage.

[mzteris]

33. If they were smart enough to get their kids

vaccinated, they wouldn't have this problem and be potentially endangering people with whom they come in contact. Selfish bastards.

[uncommon]

85. Right? I had it when I was about 8. My little sister caught it too. We were and are both fine.

[piratefish08]

18. Birth Control??? Their minds are still stuck on a 6000 year old earth.

and the stupid only gets worse from there.

[xchrom]

23. Judging by the unrecs the duggars aren't the only

People who are suspicious and ignorant of germ theory
And herd immunity.

[WinkyDink]

24. I was vaccinated back in the day, and got measles, mumps, and chicken-pox. Why the big deal here?

[Raine]

100. Agreed

this is just plain stupid!

[Bunny]

28. Anytime we're criticizing the Duggars, I'm usually the first in line.

But in this case I just don't get what the big deal is. Luckily, the very fragile littlest one is away from the exposure, so who cares if the rest of them get the chicken pox? I had them, both of my kids had them, big effing deal.

[mzteris]

39. because when they were contagious - you know - BEFORE

you knew they were actually sick - how many people were they exposed to? Any pregnant women? Any immunocompromised people?

[slampoet]

29. People seem to forget this happens w/ large families, at least it aint SCARLET FEVER,

which swept through my mother's family about 50 years back (she's one of 9 children).

[eowyn_of_rohan]

30. or smallpox or diptheria, et al

all of which wreaked havoc on families 100 years ago...

On another issue - our mothers, in the 60's, used to send us to play with kids who had the "childhood" diseases - chicken pox, mumps, measles... seems weird. I guess they wanted us to get through them before we got older.

[hedgehog]

32. I went through measles, mumps and chicken pox. My kids caught

chicken pox before the vaccine was out. Oddly enough, they all caught it one at a time when they entered kindergarten. It must have been a carry-over of latent immunity from being breast fed. Poor kids were so miserable that I would have gotten the vaccine if I could have. My youngest got the chicken pox about a year before the vaccine was approved, and was left with a permanent scar near her eye.

[Hawkowl]

36. I HATE these people

Fucking selfish, stupid motherfuckers.

[stanwyck]

89. I'm not going to say hate, but I believe the parents have mental

health issues. In my (very unprofessional) opinion, they're narcissistic. You can't possibly give this many children the amount of emotional attention a child deserves. The parents are obsessed with themselves. Just because you CAN do something doesn't mean you should. They remind me of those awful show business wannabe parents who sacrifice their son's or daughter's childhood for their own ego gratification.

[Raine]

105. I hate their lifestyle but

they are actually very likable when you see the show, so as people I find much to my surprise that I like them.

[Obamanaut]

47. People do survive chicken pox. I did. So did both daughters when

they were kids, AND they had been vaccinated.

[dsc]

52. I admit to failing to see the outrage here

I had chicken pox as a kid, my brother gave it to me, and I lived. Chicken pox isn't small pox, or diptheria, or polio. That said, I don't see why they didn't immunize but think in the case of a disease like this it should be their choice, wrong headed or not.

[mzteris]

64. even though not vacccinating can and does

endanger OTHER people??

[dsc]

81. it is chicken pox for God's sake

People are acting like it is polio.

[mzteris]

83. to the people who are dead, it's much worse, isn't it?

Just because the "risk" is small - it is still very much a life-threatening, life-changing risk for some. A "risk" that could well have been avoided.

WTF do you have against the damn vaccine? It's just a vaccine. People are acting like you're asking them to get literally "shot".

[whistler162]

87. Must have daily dose of poutrage. A poutrage a day

keeps the doctor away. Don'cha know.

[Critters2]

54. A member of my congregation told the school nurse that her children

should get a religious exemption from vaccines, that our faith doesn't believe in them. The nurse told me this when we ran into each other at the park one day. She was surprised to learn UCCs don't believe in vaccines. She didn't tell me who the mother was (which probably keeps it from being a HIPAA violation), but I can guess. I told her we hold to no such belief, that we support science, especially science which keeps kids from catching deadly diseases.

It's one thing to want to expose your kids to diseases, but then to lie about it to boot. It's like having 19 kids and finding clever ways to keep from paying your fair share of taxes. Makes me sick!

[brendan120678]

84. Why do we even care?

I'm 4 years older than my kid brother, and we both got chicken pox at the same time.
I was 8 he was 4. That was about 24 years ago.

And while we were both contagious, my aunt brought our cousins over to visit, for the very purpose of exposing them as well.
Best to get it over and done with while they were still younger (they were between 4 and 7 years old).
I'm pretty sure that "Chicken Pox Parties" were actually pretty common for a long time.

It's a good thing that Michelle took the infant out for safety, but for the rest of the kids it'll probably just be a minor annoyance for a week.

[emilyg]

94. When my daughter was

very young - we had those parties.

[AnArmyVeteran]

86. I hope the chicken poxed-Duggars don't get salmonella from tainted eggs too.

[Stevenmarc]

91. I guess they didn't pray hard enough

[lynne]

93. Buy stock in Calamine Lotion and Benedryl -

- as it's bound to go sky-high!

[yawnmaster]

96. I don't see the outrage either, nor do I see from where the hate occasionally seen, comes. eom

[slackmaster]

98. My mom intentionally exposed me to it when I was three years old

I had a very mild case. It was 1961, and that's just how things were done.

My brother, OTOH, got it when he was six and had a bad case, followed by a potentially deadly post-CP encephalitis. That was scary.

[bluestateguy]

99. Are they anti-vaxers?

I don't really have a whole lot of patience for that approach.

[Raine]

101. So, my parents didn't believe in any of that "stuff"

I got chicken pox ... no big deal. Some people don't swallow everything that "science" hands out to them. My mother knew first hand after she suffered the effects of a small pox vaccination, thank God my parents were skeptics of the science god.

[depakid]

103. That was parody, right?