Healthy Moms
It seems like so many people I know have been getting the shingles lately.
I was talking w/ a friend, who happens to be a nurse, and she says that she has been seeing shingles on the rise. But WHY?
She says that as adults (who have already had the chicken pox) are exposed to kids w/ the chicken pox (an airborne disease so you can be exposed just by going to walmart) that you are basically getting a "booster" to your natural immunity, therefore suppressing shingles.
But now that kids are being vaccinated against chicken pox and rarely getting it, adults are missing their "boosters" and then at a higher risk of getting shingles.
Have you ever heard that?
Replies
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Yes, I have heard of this, and believe it.
I cannot remember the German physician's name, but he was a family physician,that studied the town and families at a local bar, so goes the story, and actually linked the fact that as patient's aged their immunity wore off to the varicella virus, and you had to be re-exposed. His work & theory was instrumental firrst step in first developing the vaccine for zoster (shingles). So if they are not getting their Zostavax vaccine (recommended at age 60) then yes, they could be at greater risk.
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Very interesting! I've never heard of that before...I will say that my mom and my MIL have both had shingles in the past year.
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Yup. In addition to that, those receiving the vaccine are not receiving full immunity & thus are susceptible to shingles. It's believed that this is why people are getting shingles at a younger & younger age. -
Nope, but now I'm even more glad I refused to vax my son for it!
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Eeeek! I've never heard of that :( -
Yeah, but the ppl I know getting them aren't 60. They're in their 30's!
That's why it scares me. That's how old I am.
Quoting Marti123:
Yes, I have heard of this, and believe it.
I cannot remember the German physician's name, but he was a family physician,that studied the town and families at a local bar, so goes the story, and actually linked the fact that as patient's aged their immunity wore off to the varicella virus, and you had to be re-exposed. His work & theory was instrumental firrst step in first developing the vaccine for zoster (shingles). So if they are not getting their Zostavax vaccine (recommended at age 60) then yes, they could be at greater risk.
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My friend who got them, exposed her dd, who now has chicken pox. Both my older kids had chicken pox and so I asked dh if I should run over there and expose my 2 yr old (he hasn't had the vaccine either) but he didn't like that idea so I dropped it.
The next day, another friend of mine did take her kids over there and exposed them! She is the one who told me all of this. So now, IF her kids actually get it, we have to wait about 2 weeks to see, then I will expose myself (for a booster) and my 2 yr old!
So in a month, I might be on here saying my 2 yr old has chicken pox!
Quoting Peera:
Nope, but now I'm even more glad I refused to vax my son for it!
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Kind of makes sense. I know they are encouraging older adults to get the vaccine to prevent shingles.
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Lucky! I'm still waiting for one of my son's friends to get it. We have to be very careful about timing the exposure, because SO will have to move out for a while since he's never had them.
Quoting mypbandj:
My friend who got them, exposed her dd, who now has chicken pox. Both my older kids had chicken pox and so I asked dh if I should run I we there and expose my 2 yr old (he hasn't had the vaccine either) but he didn't like that idea so I dropped it.
The next day, another friend of mine did take her kids over there and exposed them! She is the one who told me all of this. So now, IF her kids actually get it, we have to wait about 2 weeks to see, then I will expose myself (for a booster) and my 2 yr old!
So in a month, I might be on here saying my 2 yr old has chicken pox!
Quoting Peera:
Nope, but now I'm even more glad I refused to vax my son for it!
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interesting