If you're sick, don't see a movie!!!

[Cia]

Unfortunately Tarma, that doesn't always mean you're in the clear. I had the chickenpox vaccine as a kid. Didn't stop me from getting it a grand total of thirteen times.

Most of my childhood memories were "itchy" and "smells like pinetarsol and oatmeal." I remember my worst bout, I spent half my time scooting around the carpet on my back (learned the trick from Bella!).

Thankfully, my Mum was always very, very quick to call the school and let them know when I had it. All the relatives got notification, and I was on house and backyard quarantine.

How can you have it thirteen times w/o developing an immunity? Were they very light cases?

I know you can catch it multiple times my daughter caught it three times, the first two were very light and the last was a doozy. But thirteen times seems a bit excessive, are you sure you didn't have shingles?

[Gilhelmi]

My favorite vaccine story is when Gen. George Washington was fighting the Revolutionary War.

Back then, most military deaths were disease or exposure, and a smallpox plague was starting to break out in Boston. He knew that it would soon spread to his men. So he had to make a hard choice, inoculate or don't. Back then, things could go horribly wrong with the inoculation and lead to a worse epidemic. If the British attacked while they were recovering, we would today be pledging our undying loyalty to the Queen. (side-note: really interesting to think about how world events might have gone if the US had lost the Revolutionary war)

Gen. Washington decided the risk of smallpox was too great, and inoculated his Army. This is not like the needle we use today. Back then the took a knife and lightly spread puss from infected people, and cut the person being inoculated. This usually caused a mild case of smallpox. Gen. Washington kept the soldiers being inoculated in isolation to try and prevent it spreading out of control and to treat the disease.

AND IT WORKED!! Less then 1% of the inoculated soldiers died from the process and it was critical for the Continental Army to be strong enough to beat the British back across the Sea.

[Latekin]

How can you have it thirteen times w/o developing an immunity? Were they very light cases?

I know you can catch it multiple times my daughter caught it three times, the first two were very light and the last was a doozy. But thirteen times seems a bit excessive, are you sure you didn't have shingles?

Pretty sure. I just can't form an immunity to it. Argh. There's a really good way of explaining it from the medical/biological standpoint, but it's in one of my biology textbooks, and I can't remember it properly off the top of my head. Here goes the best explanation I can give (may be horribly inaccurate).

Your immune system has cells that attack viruses and bacteria, and also ones that remember them. They remember each virus/bacteria you get and the best way to kill them off, forming an immunity(?). Sometimes, some people have a glitch in these memory cells, and a particular virus/bacteria will not be remembered. Every time you get it, it's like the first time you have it.

Seems to be what's happening here. Mind you, that could have all been horribly inaccurate.

[Ghel]

I had a customer with shingles at my desk yesterday. She insisted on using her own pen, but she was giving me papers that she's been handling for at least a week, before she even went to the doctor to get her painful rash checked out.

[blondescales]

Back in the 70's my brother was the one who started the chicken pox wave through our preschool. Two weeks after his first spots appeared mine showed up. At least my mom didn't have both of us home sick at the same time.