http://www.cnn.com/2001/HEALTH/10/20/chickenpox.parents.ap/index.html

 

Parents throwing chickenpox parties

October 20, 2001 Posted: 12:14 PM EDT (1614 GMT)

Most kids would opt for a party over a hypodermic needle. When it comes to chickenpox, some parents agree.

PITTSBURGH, Pennsylvania (AP) -- The kids who attend parties at Connie Shoemaker's house get something more than ice cream or cake. They get exposed to chickenpox.

Shoemaker and other parents leery of the relatively new chickenpox vaccine are holding "chickenpox parties," inviting healthy children to play with infected ones in hopes the youngsters will catch the disease and gain lifetime immunity.

"It's a natural way to deal with the problem instead of introducing more chemicals into kids," Shoemaker says.

She says she isn't anti-vaccine -- she has had her children vaccinated against other diseases. But with the vaccine only 6 years old, she says she's not sure whether it really protects people for life, and she believes she's avoiding more serious complications from chickenpox in adulthood.

QUICKVOTE Parents: Would you rather have your child vaccinated for chickenpox, or throw a party in an attempt to get a natural infection? Vaccination. Party. I'm a kid, why don't I get a vote? View Results

"I wanted to deal with the known factor, not the unknown factor," says Shoemaker, who also home-schools her children.

Such gatherings have been around, at least informally, for years, even before the chickenpox vaccine, and for childhood diseases such as mumps and measles, too. Parents knew their children would eventually get such diseases and wanted to get it over with at their convenience.

Health officials discourage such gatherings.

Chickenpox is usually no more serious than fever and itchy spots, but there are risks, particularly in grown-ups. The disease can cause brain swelling, pneumonia and skin infections in children and adults, according to the American Academy of Family Physicians.

"I think there has been a general misconception that chickenpox is a benign disease," says Dr. Karin Galil, an infectious-disease specialist with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta.

Before the chickenpox vaccine, 100 people died annually of the illness and 5,000 to 9,000 were hospitalized. The vaccine is safe and up to 95-percent effective against mild to serious strains, Galil says, and those who do contract chickenpox despite being vaccinated develop less severe cases.

Generally, people who have chickenpox are immune for life, but a small number get the disease more than once. Galil says the CDC believes the vaccine will last a lifetime, citing studies in Japan that show it has protected people for 25 years so far. Doctors say serious reactions are rare.

Last month, Shoemaker sent her three children to the house of a friend whose child had chickenpox, hoping they would catch the highly contagious virus. It worked, and since then, Shoemaker, who lives in Butler, about 30 miles north of Pittsburgh, has held three chickenpox parties for other families.

Two weeks ago, Tammy Swanberg, 38, took two of her children, ages 3 and 5, to Shoemaker's house to get them infected. As of Wednesday, they had not developed any symptoms. "I think that vaccines can have their place, but sometimes I think our society just abuses them," Swanberg says.

Some of those who choose intentional infection are leery of vaccines in general or cite religious reasons.

Barbara Loe Fisher, president of the National Vaccine Information Center in Vienna, Virginia, says she founded the group after her son suffered brain damage from a reaction to a vaccine for another disease. Fisher says parents should have the right not to have their children vaccinated.

About half of all states now require the chickenpox vaccine for schoolchildren. Next year, the vaccination -- or proof of having had chickenpox -- will be required in Pennsylvania schools.

Copyright 2001 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

ALL INFORMATION, DATA, AND MATERIAL CONTAINED, PRESENTED, OR PROVIDED HERE IS FOR GENERAL INFORMATION PURPOSES ONLY AND IS NOT TO BE CONSTRUED AS REFLECTING THE KNOWLEDGE OR OPINIONS OF THE PUBLISHER, AND IS NOT TO BE CONSTRUED OR INTENDED AS PROVIDING MEDICAL OR LEGAL ADVICE.  THE DECISION WHETHER OR NOT TO VACCINATE IS AN IMPORTANT AND COMPLEX ISSUE AND SHOULD BE MADE BY YOU, AND YOU ALONE, IN CONSULTATION WITH YOUR HEALTH CARE PROVIDER.