Should My Baby Get Vaccinated for Chicken Pox?
Chicken pox is a very popular childhood disease, which most adults have experienced as children themselves. When most people think of childhood diseases, chicken pox is the first one that comes to mind. Although most adults now have never had vaccinations, and simply went through a bout of chicken pox themselves, we do recommend that children be vaccinated against chicken pox as it can cause rare but very serious complications.
Chicken pox generally lasts 5 to 7 days, and causes minor fevers as well as rashes which later turn to blisters, and then dries out. Through this infection, if the baby scratches the blisters, the skin may break and scar. A minor fever is usually associated. Chicken pox is very contagious, and can infect anyone who has not been infected or vaccinated against chicken pox via skin to skin contact.
Chicken pox tends to be severe when babies under 12 months contract chicken pox, or when adults catch chicken pox. Rarely, when a pregnant mother becomes ill with chicken pox, it can have severe complications on the baby. To remove the possibility of these problems, we recommend that you have children who are over 12 months to get a chicken pox vaccination. Vaccinations are safe with very few complications except fatigue and a few spots that emerge in some people. However, if your baby is already sick or immuno-compromised for some reason, we suggest that you discuss options with your doctor.
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