The usual talking point from folks who are anti-vax is that vaccine-preventable diseases are mild. Some even go so far to say that they are good for you! It isn’t too often that these folks admit that these diseases, from measles and polio to chickenpox, do indeed kill people.
No, chickenpox doesn’t kill 1 in 100 people, but that doesn’t mean that people don’t die with chickenpox, especially if they are unvaccinated and unprotected.
Did Bobby Kennedy Admit That Chickenpox Kills People?
Do we want to go back to the days when more folks were dying with chickenpox?
“The total cost to theoretically save 50 children is approximately $900 million dollars or $17.5 million per life saved.”
Bobby Kennedy
What else does Bobby Kennedy say?
“Chickenpox can reactivate as shingles when an adult’s immunity wanes or is not boosted by periodic exposure to children with chickenpox. CDCs clinical studies predicted that widespread vaccination would double shingles rates among adults and children and precipitate a shingles epidemic. “
Bobby Kennedy
While it is true that chickenpox can reactivate as shingles, a bonus of getting vaccinated and protected with the chickenpox vaccine is that it actually decreases your risk of developing shingles later in life!
And those countries that didn’t vaccinate and protect their kids with the chickenpox vaccine, because they thought it might cause a later shingles epidemic if fewer kids were sick and boosting the immunity of adults who had already had chickenpox still saw a rise in shingles cases.
That’s probably why many of those countries are now considering adding the chickenpox vaccine to their schedule.
What else did Bobby Kennedy say?
“…chickenpox presents as a mild rash and slight fever and confers lifetime immunity to chickenpox and significant protection against shingles, heart disease, atopic diseases, and cancers including glioma, brain, and spinal tumors. “
Bobby Kennedy
The part about getting lifetime immunity to chickenpox is true.
Does chickenpox provide significant protection against heart disease, atopic disease, or cancer?
Nope.
And of course, if you have ever had chickenpox, you know that it is far more than “a mild rash and a slight fever.”
In a routine case of chickenpox, the fever typically rises to at least 102°F and lasts for at least 2 to 3 days, with the rash persisting for up to a week.
Unfortunately, not all chickenpox cases are routine.
In addition to the deaths, there are plenty of reports of kids having complications with chickenpox and developing skin superinfections, pneumonia, encephalitis, or having strokes.
What else does Bobby Kennedy say?
“Merck’s vaccine is only 60% effective after 5 years, leaving adults vulnerable to shingles.”
Bobby Kennedy
Actually, it has been found that one dose of the chickenpox vaccine is 100% effective at preventing severe disease!
So why do we get two doses?
“This study confirmed that varicella vaccine is effective at preventing chicken pox, with no waning noted over a 14-year period. One dose provided excellent protection against moderate to severe disease, and most cases occurred shortly after the cohort was vaccinated. The study data also suggest that varicella vaccination may reduce the risks of HZ in vaccinated children.”
Baxter et al on Long-term effectiveness of varicella vaccine: a 14-Year, prospective cohort study.
Two doses of the chickenpox vaccine are up to 94% effective at preventing any chickenpox disease, even breakthrough cases.
And again, several studies have confirmed that getting vaccinated and protected with the chickenpox vaccine decreases your risk of developing shingles!
Do you really want your kids to be at risk to get chickenpox and have a higher risk to get shingles later in life?
Of course not. That’s why you hopefully don’t listen to folks like Bobby Kennedy and you vaccinate and protect your kids.
More on Chickenpox Deaths
- 10 Myths About Chicken Pox and the Chicken Pox Vaccine
- Origins of a Name – Chickenpox
- The Shingles Vaccine Shortage
- Believe It or Not, Chicken Pox Parties Are Still a Thing
- Where Are the Latest Chickenpox Outbreaks?
- What to Do If Your Child Is Exposed to Shingles
- Should I Stop Calling Chickenpox and Measles Diseases?
- More Misinformation on Vaccine Shedding
- More Questions to Help You Become a Vaccine Skeptic
- Study – Global Varicella Vaccine Effectiveness: A Meta-analysis.
- Study – Long-term effectiveness of varicella vaccine: a 14-Year, prospective cohort study.
- Study – Chickenpox and Risk of Stroke: A Self-controlled Case Series Analysis
- Study – Necrotizing fasciitis secondary to chickenpox infection in children
- Chickenpox prevents glioma – not a reason to avoid the vaccine
- Shingles increase heart attacks – time for the vaccine
- Neil Z. Miller & Gary S. Goldman
- Vaccines and infant mortality rates: A false relationship promoted by the anti-vaccine movement
Last Updated on October 5, 2019