Kentucky governor deliberately infected his children with chickenpox

A few days ago, Kentucky Governor Matt Bevin said in a radio interview that he had voluntarily infected his nine unvaccinated children while they were younger. This is unfortunately a common approach to vaccinating children, but it is not safe.

These so-called "parts of chicken pox" were created to force children to contract the disease before they are older and therefore more likely to develop complications. Despite this, a small number of people infected with the virus develop serious complications that in some cases can become fatal. The vaccine is the safest option available.

"All my children have had chickenpox," Bevin said in an interview with WKCT, a Bowling Green radio station, reported by the Associated Press. went and made sure that each of my children was exposed to it and they got it. They had it like children. They were miserable for a few days and they all did well.

The varicella vaccine became available in the United States in 1995. It is 100% effective against severe forms of the disease and 98% against all forms. Before the vaccine was placed on the market, there were 4 million cases of chickenpox per year in the United States, with over 10,000 people being hospitalized and between 100 and 150 deaths a year.

The varicella virus persists even years after its contraction and can cause shingles later in life, causing extremely painful rashes on the trunk. Kentucky requires that children entering kindergarten be vaccinated against the disease. Parents can avoid this if they benefit from religious exemptions or if they can prove that the child in question has already had chickenpox.

Speaking of the vaccine, the Republican governor said in the interview: "And I think, why do we force kids to get it? If you are worried that your child will get chicken pox or anything else, have it vaccinated … But for some people and some parents, for whatever reason, they choose otherwise. It's America. The federal government should not impose this on the people. They just should not. "

Varicella vaccines contain live attenuated viruses. It's a "chickenpox celebration" in a vial, but it has the advantage of not making your child unhappy and helping protect those who are pregnant or immunocompromised from this dangerous disease.

[H/T: Associated Press]