Parents Want Their Kids to Get Sick

By Jacy Wojcik in News on Sep 16, 2008 10:00PM

We enjoy any excuse for a party but when lesions and scabs are involved we can't help but be a bit repulsed.

Chickenpox parties are growing in popularity as parents who don't want to vaccinate their kids try instead to get their children infected early in life when the effects are typically more mild. These parents may also be skeptical of the chickenpox vaccine for medical reasons or have religious reasons against vaccinating their children. But religion doesn't get in the way of a good party! Most pox parties are similar to a typical playdate but with parents urging their children to share popsicles, suckers, whistles, juice boxes and t-shirts with the infected. Mglurg. The most disgusting thing about this might be that many pox parties are found on community boards.

"Once I realized I was driving from Oak Park from Hyde Park to be at a complete stranger's house and share their germs—that's a little weird," Megan Cummins, a shiatsu therapist who recently tried to infect her children, told the Trib.

But before you go dragging your children to Skokie to share spit with a strange, sick child, know that most pediatricians advise against the parties and push vaccinations since 1 in 10 children experience serious problems like skin infections, dehydration, pneumonia and more. Which reminds us of when the South Park moms had a pox party at Kenny's house and they all ended up in the hospital. Also, sometimes pox parties don't work. Chickenpox is most contagious during a one week period, notably, the time between lesions and scabs and "some parents drove to an infected child's house only to find that scabs had begun to form." Ew.

The Chicagoist staff is pretty mixed on the pro-pox/no-pox debate. Most of us have been infected with chickenpox and have mild but vivid memories of itching, missing school, eating popsicles, and getting our siblings or classmates all poxy. The lucky few that actually got vaccinated, though, are scar free and proud of it. [Trib]