and any potentially abusive holiday-makers

I honestly can't see how spots that started yesterday will be totally crusted over and DRY before next week - my little boy was still getting fresh spots 3 days after the first ones appeared.

Until the last spot is crusted over and dry it is still contagious. Great for your doc togive you a letter NOW but how the heck does he know that the last spot will be crusted over and dry by the time you fly in a weeks time? Sounds to me like he/she has been grossly irresponsible here.

It's not just about how uncomfortable the little one is and is going to be subjected to intense heat but there's also the risks you put others thru' - chicken pox is dangerous to unborn babies, the elderly, those with low immune systems and quite frankly if I was in one of those groups I might be tempted to get abusive myself.

You may well find that she won't be welcome in kids clubs - if she's with someone at the start of their holiday you might be putting someone else thru' un-necessary suffering at the end of their holiday.

Honestly - is it worth it? I know we all want our holidays and look forward to them and I can understand the disappointment having to cancel so late in the day but I really would urge you to think twice.

Sorry if this sounds a bit sharp but I honestly for the life of me cannot understand why anyone would knowingly take a child with chickenpox on holiday to a hot and sunny climate.

I don't suppose you will know for a day or two how severely she is going to get the chicken pox, I can't quite understand the GP being able to state that she will be fine to travel in a week if it's not fully come out yet. Maybe he is coming from the point of view that a mild case of chicken pox for a child is an inconvenience more than being very poorly so he's looking at it like.

A major concern for me, quite apart from the child's comfort on holiday, would be the liklihood of passing it on to other children in resort. Far worse to come down with this whilst half way through a holiday and then be unable to come home until it's cleared. Not least the massive inconvenience to everyone concerned.

I feel that some people are over reacting here, we are talking chicken pox here not some serious life threatning disease. Chickenpox is not infectious five days after the spots appear more so before the spots come out and how do you know then not to fly? Chicken pox takes two weeks to incubate so no one on holiday will come out in spots while they are away.You could easily be stood next to some one with it while out shopping or at the doctor's or even in the street. If your immune system is bad then you should not really be on a plane as who knows who has some worse disease than chicken pox.
As for the child's health on holiday I am sure by a weeks time they will be fine, the sun and fresh air made my Grandson's remains of spots disappear a lot quicker than his brother's did. My daughter put lots of sunblock on Jack and he had a great time. He did not suffer at all and I think assuming that this parent would let their child suffer is very unfair and I am sure that if in a weeks time the child is still unwell then they would cancel their holiday.

for tisonlymoi just to put youre mind at ease yes we did get a doctors letter AND contacted the airline emidiently who said she would be fine to fly by tuesday .they also took her name and flight number so we have no hassle at the airport .apparently my travel let you fly 3 to 4 days after the first spot appears so cant be that big a deal although our airline is 7 days after the first spot appears .she also hasnt come out in any more spots so about 6 in total that can be covered by her t shirt aint to bad . hope you feel better :lol:.and can i also agree with lady in saying chickenpox are WAY more contagies before the spots appear so really the person beside anyone on a plane could be spreading it like wild fire and not even know .im sure my daughters 6 little spots will be long gone

we are talking chicken pox here not some serious life threatning disease

For some people, chickenpox is life threatening. Nobody who's had a transplant and taking immuno-suppressant drugs to counter organ rejection (and most have to do this for the rest of thier lives) will thank you to discover that you've taken an unnecessary risk with their life by knowingly taking an infectious child onto a plane with you. Yes, they have to take risks everyday of their lives, as do people with cystic fibrosis and others with certain longterm chronic conditions unless they live their lives in a hermetically sealed bubble but that is different from being knowingly exposed as a result of someone else putting their own wants before other people's needs. Nor will any woman in the early stages of pregnancy thank you if she catches chickenpox whilst carrying her baby. Just because people can be infectious before they know it is absolutely no reason to take chances once you know they are infectious. All people have been saying is that before taking a child who has recently had chickenpox away on holiday that you seek medical advice and for your own peace of mind get a 'fit-to-travel' letter from your docter.

Remember, Chickenpox can have other serious even if not life-threatening consequences depending on were the pus filled spots appear. In the ears and you can end up deaf, on the eyeballs and you can end up blind, it can even potentially cause brain damage. Also, the Chickenpox virus never disappears from the body once you've had it and it can re-activated in the form of Shingles at any time in the future. And the Shingles can appear wherever you have nerve endings and I can vouch for just how excruciating the pain can be. And in my case it was re-activated by someone coming back to work to soon after having Chickenpox. Chickenpox is a serious illness that thankfully most of us survive these days but that hasn't always been the case and it still isn't in countries that don't have our level of health care.

SM

I do have to agree. Of course everyone has a risk of catching something from someone if they don't know they've got it, what's at issue is knowingly flying if you know you have been very recently infectious. I'm not so sure about the not being infectious after the spots come out to be honest, why do people therefore bother taking their kids to 'chickenpox parties' so they can catch it while young and get it out of the way?

And why are people with obvious chickenpox or shingles then told to stay away from vulnerable people, and work for that matter?

I hear what everyone is saying, but I think this all stems from chicken pox being somewhat of an inconvenience rather than most kids being genuinely poorly from it (cases differ, I know), but you have to admit the worry of most people is 'will we get to go on holiday'.

sandc chickenpox are still contagius for 5 days after the spots appear hope this helps

According to my doctor chickenpox is contagious UNTIL the last spot has crusted over and is completely dry!

Have to say no, I don't feel better but at the end of the day it's your call.

If there are only 6 spots you've got away lightly - I speak as someone who had a very ill little boy who ended up in hospital as he was unable to wee. I know how uncomfortable he was (despite Piriton, Eurax, Calamine & bicarb of soda) in the Spring when weather was cool.

It is a serious illness to some and that shouldn't be forgotten.

Lady - some peeps WILL let their kids suffer rather than give up their holidays, just like the parents of a child at school who despite their sons torso being covered in chickenpox spots said NOTHING and allowed their child into school knowing that a teacher was pregnant!

Ta angela. Cos I got it when I was about 5. I caught it from my cousin who we were visiting at the time. We ended up staying with them for longer than we'd planned to because of it. So I didn't have a 2 week incubation period that's for sure! And I didn't catch it at home cos we'd travelled 400 miles to see them.

All this talk of chicken pox is making me paranoid about shingles now!

Hi All

Been reading this thread with interest. When my kids where younger all three of them got it within a week or so of each other, they all attended the same nursery/ primary school. At the time there were so many kids off school with it that the education department told the head to contact the parents of the children who were absent and tell them that once the last sport had dried and crusted over that the child should return to school as that is when they are no longer infectious. My eldest who caught it first was not too bad but the younger two really suffered, they had spots everywhere.

With regard to the comment in an earlier post about people with a low immune system should not be on a plane. I think if the lady who has posted on another thread regarding her daughter who has just been given the all clear from cancer after Chemotherapy and are taking her on holiday for the well deserved break her and the family need read this she would not be very happy. Having had cancer myself and a very close family member chemo does knock your immune system for six but I don't see why that should stop us travelling as unlike chickenpox it is not something that can be passed on to others.

Regards Jackie

Wondering if anyone had any advice

My 4 year old came home from preschool with chicken pox on Tuesday. We are due to fly to Menorca on 21st June. She will hopefully be ok by then.

But she has a 2 year old sister who hasnt yet had it.

Looking to maybe postpone holiday and rebook at a later date.

Can anyone give me any advice if we will lose loads of money or will we have to go through travel insurance (other daughter may or may not get them so we cannot provide medical evidence).

We booked it deliberately out of school holidays whilst the children are still young. Now it seems we are gonna have to pay extra and maybe cancellation charges to move it to later in July

Please please help!
Fi

Your insurance would cover you if your child was ill and doctor considered not fit for flying. So in this case I think they might argue that 21 June is still a while away - you don't know that your other child will get it or not. Insurance covers the whole holiday, less any excess and you will not get any charges for changing dates/holiday destination or anything. It would simply be a cancellation of the holiday which insurance would pay you back for.

All companies will have different policies you really would need to check with them.
Your insurance should cover some/all of the costs if you have to cancel because of health reasons, but can take a while to sort out. It is unlikely to cover the cost of rebooking during peak times.

Would check with your tour operator first of all. They may be willing (if you ask very nicely) to transfer your holiday to a later date at the same price, point out that if you cancel completely to get your money back, then you are likely going to have to look for a late deal elsewhere if they are unable to assist as your budget cannot accomodate the extra cost, They will probably charge you for an amendment fee, which you should be able to claim from your insurance.

Look on the bright side, my 7 year old has been exposed to chicken pox several times and has never developed the symptoms. You may be OK

I dont want to go on holiday if my youngest is gonna get it whilst we are there - which is likely. Do you think my insurance will cover that condition.

Dont really want to go on hols then have to delay coming back cos shes covered with spots

Have a word with your GP, he would probably be willing to provide a note to the effect that your child will be unfit to travel. Problem is that it is two weeks away, although it is worth having a chat with him.

So far as the travelling outside peak times goes, would you be okay to wait until September perhaps? It's such a long time when you were planning on going earlier I know, but you are so right - your kids will get maximum enjoyment at full health and as others have said, you don't know if it's going to be a mild attack or not.

cant go in september as that is when my eldest starts school. Its this/next month or dreaded summer holidays unfortunately.

Doubt that my doctor would do a not to say that my youngest in unfit to travel if she hasnt got chickenpox. Just dont know a way around it.

Gonna ring thomsons later and see if they will rearrange the hols for me with the least possible incurring cost. Maybe when I cry down the phone at them they may understand.

We were due to fly out on my birthday so Im not feeling in a very bright mood!

Hi, my daughter had to cancel her holiday a few weeks back as her son still had the scars remaining from chickenpox and she was not allowed to fly. The insurance covered the cost except £100 excess and she was lucky and got a late deal a couple days later. She had to get a letter from the doctor saying he was ok to fly and one for the insurance company stating that when they booked the holiday they did not know that Jack would get chickenpox and that he would not be allowed to fly. The insurance company paid within three weeks and were very good and helpful. I should ring your insurance company and ask if you got a letter from the doctor to say your daughter was in contact with chickenpox and very likely to be infectious when you are due to fly will they cover your cancelation charges or admendment fees. Hope you can get something sorted and feel more cheerful soon.