Parties purposely trying to get kids sick

Chicken pox parties are a real phenomenon where folks get their kids together to expose them to the infectious and highly contagious disease naturally, rather than getting them vaccinated.

The Immunization Partnership President and CEO Allison Winnike said before 1995, when the chicken pox vaccine came out, hundreds of children died and tens of thousands were hospitalized.

"They can get severe bacterial infections on the blisters on their skin. They can get encephalitis, which is brain inflammation. They can have hemorrhaging or infections in their blood stream and dehydration," said Winnicke.

She said parents are gambling with their child's life, when a vaccine 98 percent effective against all strains and 100 percent effective against serious complications.

"Chicken pox parties are extremely dangerous, they're possibly deadly and they can arguably be considered child abuse since now we have a safe and effective vaccine to prevent chicken pox," said Winnicke.

She said a recent study found children who received the chicken pox vaccine were 79 percent more likely to not get Shingles as an older adult, as opposed to children who did not get vaccinated, or had chicken pox as a child.


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