Adelaide chickenpox party planned for Friday will put kids at risk, health authorities say
HEALTH authorities warn a group of Adelaide parents who plan to take their children to a “chickenpox party” today are putting their child’s health at risk.
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HEALTH authorities have warned a group of Adelaide parents planing a “chickenpox party” today that they are putting their children’s health at risk.
Adelaide mother Agnes Dombrowska this week advised other parents on the Vaccine Free Australia Facebook group that she would be attending a chickenpox party with her children today.
“Question: we are going to a pox patry (sic) on Friday. What is the best way to get it? Our girl usually doesn’t get virus and chickenpox is viral,” she wrote.
“I’ll have all my friends over ... because then it’s immunity for life not some stupid undetermined period.”
It comes as parents across Australia plan the secret meet-ups in a bid to expose their kids to the highly infectious disease in the hope it will infect them and immunise them for life.
This week, mother-of-two Hollie Singleton, of Brisbane, planned a party which was cancelled following criticism from that state’s Premier, health department and the Australian Medical Association.
“My son has a full case of chickenpox. We are all home together for the week,” she wrote.
“If anyone wants to clear this bug now and get it over with please come to Brisbane and visit us. We are here to infect only those who want it!”
Ms Dombrowska told The Advertiser she believed “vaccines don’t work on our family”.
“So I need immunity for my girl before school is back and she could potentially infect the whole school,” she wrote.
Brisbane mother Tammy Bennett supported the Adelaide party and wrote: “Sounds brilliant … I truly believe kids should be made to be exposed to this as children and not suppress with vaccines that may or may not produce immunity across 3 shots filled with MSG and guinea pig and human cell tissues.”
In South Australia, 401 people have contracted chickenpox so far this year, up from 323 at the same time last year.
Latest figures reveal that 90.1 per cent of SA children had received the vaccine as of June 30.
Children are vaccinated against the varicella virus, which causes chickenpox and shingles infections, at 18 months of age and receive a booster in Year 8.
SA Health director of communicable diseases Branch Dr Ann Koehler warned parents against hosting chickenpox parties because they were dangerous.
“Anyone who deliberately attempts to infect a child with chickenpox risks them falling seriously ill and possibly requiring hospitalisation,” she said.
Dr Koehler urged parents to immunise their children to protect them against the infection.
“Vaccination is one of the most important developments in medical history and has led to the eradication of a number of serious and potentially fatal illnesses in Australia and saved millions of lives across the world,” she said.