It is enough to make the skin crawl (maybe with chicken pox) – the thought that irresponsible parenting will put other people’s children and loved ones, including my own, at severe risks. I’m talking about the latest fad of pox parties and pox pops – where parents who are concerned about the safety or effectiveness of vaccines purposefully gather their children together and have them share snacks, orange juice, and spit, in the hopes that they will contract the virus naturally. The following is not a debate about the benefits and/or side effects of immunizations for our kids. This is a reality check for parents who willingly put the health of those in their communities at risk by irresponsible choices.
The chicken pox, or varicella, has been around for most of us as an annoying illness we suffered through as children. As yet another vaccine rolled out the doors for our children, so did an increasing attitude from some parents that enough is enough. Some parents feel that natural exposure to viruses is a healthier way for their children’s bodies to react and adjust to these diseases.
I admit that when the chicken pox vaccine first came out I did not rush my daughter to the front of the line. After all, I had chicken pox as a child and everything was just fine. However, when my third child was born it was clear that his asthmatic tendencies warranted a new conversation about vaccines in our family. He suffered most often from viral induced asthma attacks – a minor sniffle for any other child for him meant pneumonia and perhaps a visit to the ER. For our children chicken pox exposure was not worth the risk and all of our children received the immunization.
For those who can’t receive the chicken pox vaccine for health reasons, exposure to chicken pox can prove painful, dangerous, and even deadly. When these people come into contact with children who were intentionally exposed and then not quarantined, it is an irresponsible way to parent and live in a community. Obviously those children who are unknowingly exposed might have the same interactions and unfortunately cause the same repercussions. However, as parents of our children we still owe it to the families of others to be diligent and responsible about community health issues.
This new trend for pox parties is disturbing on two levels:
1. Parents are actually ordering lollipops supposedly licked by infected people with which to feed their children. Not only is it illegal to send viruses through the mail, it is more likely that a child would contract another disease, such as hepatitis or a staph infection, than the chicken pox vaccine. These resilient diseases would cause far greater havoc on the body of a child than chicken pox or the chicken pox vaccine. How can parents cringe at the thought of a child licking a shopping cart, yet pay money for a used lollipop and feed it to their kids as a snack?
2. Parents who attend pox parties with their children where they visit neighbors or friends who are ill in the hopes of spreading it are often missing another important factor. After exposure to the virus their children can spread it to other people with compromised immune systems, pregnant women (which can prove fatal for infants), newborns, and the elderly.
Since parents have no way of knowing if their child is carrying the virus until the telltale signs appear, and they remain contagious until all of the spots have crusted over, they are placing risks on those around them. Parents who choose to purposefully expose their children to the virus must keep their children isolated (yes – quarantined in the home veg’ing out with movies and toys) until they know the results. We tell people all of the time who have the flu or have been exposed to the flu to stay home from work and kids are sent home from school in part in order to keep others safe.
Again, this isn’t intended as a debate over whether parents should vaccinate their children. This is a dialogue about the definition of responsible parenting that extends to the families of those around you. One mother who intentionally exposed her children to the virus at pox party admits she doesn’t recall quarantining her children afterwards. This is reckless and, well, not very neighborly. I’m all for neighbors getting to do what they want, parents making decisions for their own kids, but it is scary when they do it at the expense to those around them.
We teach our children not to drink and drive, not to beat up kids on the playground, and not to willingly inflict harm on those around them. Attending a pox party or serving a pox pop and then sending your child out to play among kids with possibly compromised immune systems or the pregnant woman who teaches art classes for kids is irresponsible and selfish. Let’s step it up as parents and truly be the examples of teaching our children how to treat others as we want to be treated, as well as the importance of raising healthy kids. Have your pox parties, but make it a week’s vacation to be on the safe side for all of us.
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