Moms are selling chickenpox lollipops to vaccinate kids?!? Our expert says that’s NOT smart!
Parents are going to great extremes to make sure their kids are vaccinated for chickenpox! The most recent remedy? Selling pox-infected suckers for other kids to become immune! We HAD to ask a pediatrician if this was safe or not. Our expert Dr. Jennifer Shu, author of Heading Home With Your Newborn, said the lollipops pose even greater risks besides getting the chickenpox virus!
While most moms want to protect their kids from chickenpox, others are going to drastic measures to make sure their kids are immune from the disease. Some have even started a Facebook group to try and sell their kids’ items with saliva on it! The Today Show reported that a local woman in Nashville recently charged $50 for lollipops that were used by her chickenpox infected kids. Gross!
On top of selling infected lollipops, some parents have even had chickenpox parties! At these strange gatherings, parents have their kids play together in a pox-infected home and hope their kids pick up the disease!
“While the chickenpox germ may not survive on the lollipop very long in a dry environment, once it dries you can’t guarantee that it can stay infectious enough to do what the parents want them to do,” said Dr. Shu. “But we do know that there are more serious viruses like Hepatitis B that can last longer than the chickenpox virus and are way more dangerous.”
Here’s the best way to protect your kids from the virus, according to Dr. Jennifer Shu: “The vaccine is the best way to prevent it. It is safe and effective, and we do know that prior to using the vaccine about 100 people died every year and they might have been healthy! Chickenpox does not discriminate, you can get sick from it even if you’re healthy.”
So what do YOU think HollyMoms? Are these moms crazy? Or would you go to such extremes?
-Raisa Sendrovich
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Posted at 7:01 PM on November 11, 2011
Having just gone through chicken pox with my two year old, let me say, first it was horrible.
I will also say, yes, we shared alot of germs, on purpose (gasp) with mom’s who did NOT want the artificial immunity of a vaccine. However, it was ALL with people we know. Yes, we did swap lollypops in person, NO I would not send a lollypop to a stranger or give one to a child from a stranger – GRROSS.
We did NOT ask for the pox, it came to us at preschool and was very challenging. I am glad he’s got true immunity for life and, since it was pretty bad I am glad it’s over! The vaccine, I can understand why there is one, though I am skeptical of the chemicals in it and refused it, as is our right. It’s an interesting debate and chickenpox is unpleasant, though I feel that people are deathly fearful of it just because there’s a vax for it…