Have you been asked to one? A "chicken pox party"? Seems they're all the rage -- ok, maybe not. Maybe most folks realize that intentionally exposing your child to a potentially deadly disease is nothing to celebrate.
Growing up, chicken pox was looked upon as rite of passage. My mother, a nurse, purposely put my sister in bed with me when I had them so that she would catch them, too. Mom wanted to get it all over with. Even nurses back then considered chicken pox and other "childhood diseases" benign. Remember how the kids on the Brady Bunch all got the measles? Weren't they having a good time, as always?
But we know better today.
When my oldest got chicken pox, it was the pits. She was so uncomfortable, and she wasn't the best patient. I had to wait on her hand and foot, and she couldn't sleep, so I was up almost all night. When the vaccine became available in time for the rest of my children, I jumped right on board -- I have to admit it was mostly to spare me the inconvenience as well as them the discomfort.
Call me irresponsible -- believe me, I've heard worse over on a message board I frequent. There is a very heated debate going on about whether to immunize or not. And the fear of autism is only a small portion of the picture. There are some folks out there who have a real distrust of the medical community. (Others are libertarian types who just don't want to be told what to do.)
Today we know that chicken pox, measles, influenza -- these and many others are deadly diseases. Before the vaccine, there were 10,000 hospitalizations per year for chicken pox and 100 child deaths. (While I have to admit, I have no further breakdown of that number -- e.g. what ages or if the victims had compromised immune systems -- the fact remains: They all caught them from someone else.)
So fine. Don't immunize your children. That's your right. A right I intend to invoke if they start requiring the "Gardasil" shot. But if a school system requires them, prepare to home school your kid. (Or heck, start your own school -- another argument for school choice!) I'll also support keeping your kids away from public sports leagues, and other organized activities that involve physical contact.
Whereas going out your door everyday -- or sending your children out your door -- requires a leap of faith and acceptance of possible consequences, no one has the right to knowingly endanger children.
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