chicken pox and pmr

[Laineydee]

My granddaughter has just been diagnosed with chicken pox. It’s her first birthday tomorrow and the following day, a party and bbq was planned. This may go ahead in a shortened form as she appears only mildly affected. My question is - am I at risk of catching chicken pox (severely) if I am in the same room as her but avoid physical contact. I am currently on 7.5 mg of pred daily reducing from 15 over 15 months. I’ve had chickenpox as a child and had the shingles vaccine within the last 5 years.

Many thanks for your advice

laineydee

[DorsetLady PMRGCAuk volunteer]

You won’t “catch” chicken pox, but you may well reactivate the dormant CP virus and may suffer shingles…hopefully not if the vaccine does what it’s supposed to.

[MrsNails]

There’s a section in FAQ’s on Chicken Pox and Shingles.

[piglette]

It's not possible to catch shingles from someone with the condition or from someone with chickenpox. However, you can catch chickenpox from someone with shingles if you haven't had chickenpox before.

[PMRpro Ambassador]

I hope they have thought about who is coming before continuing with their plans - noone who might be pregnant for example. CP can cause foetal abnormalities whatever stage of pregnancy it is contracted. I think people are totally unaware that while CP is a mild disease for most children it can be serious in adults who haven't had it - I assumed my family would have had it when my younger daughter caught it while we were on UK visit. In fact neither my brother nor my mother in law had had it. We were with my brother when her first spot appeared, In fact he didn't get it from her - but he DID catch it from a work colleague some time later and was very unwell and off work for weeks. MIL escaped but the cousins were visiting their grandparents the other side of the road. Their mum wasn't bothered as one had had CP and the other hadn't had it despite being in contact several times - but of course, this time she DID catch it and missed the start of term at her new school.

[autumnlass]

It’s unpleasant… my late husband caught it at 21 & felt really ill and my lovely granddaughter age 10 has a pitted scar from it when she caught it age 6. 😕

[Maudie19]

My father at the age of 79 caught it from our granddaughter visiting him for two hours. She had no spots so we didn't know she was getting it. He died within a week. He had not caught it, when younger, from my children.

You can see her when she is better. A first birthday to her is nothing at that age. I missed one of our great grandchildren's birthday a month ago for the same reason. Better you live to be there for other birthdays.