Health question

[Ready2learn]

This may be a silly questian, and should probably be on a health forum, but it does sorta have to do with food.

Someone in the house has chicken pox. I don't have chicken pox, but since the disease travels through air, would it be bad to bake cookies for peope? I didn't think so, since I don't have, but wasn't sure since it was in the air.

Thanks!

 

[auntdot]

The best way to keep other people in the household from getting Chicken Pox is to isolate the the sick person.

Make that person as comfortable as possible and the only people who should be able to enter the room are those with a history of the disease, or whom have been vaccinated.

The person who brings in the food, or enters the room, should wash his/her hands when leaving, and all dishware should be cleaned immediately.

Yes the disease can be transmitted by droplets in the air, but contact with the person's skin is very effective, as is contact with everything the person has touched.

It is very contagious.

The best protection is vaccine, which is very effective.

As far as cookies go, make them. But take the ones for the sick person into him.

 

[Alix]

I don't think you need to worry much as the most contagious period is before the rash even shows up. By the time the rash appears, anyone who is going to get it is infected. Its not really that dangerous unless there are other immunity issues. Just keep everyone comfortable.

How Does Chickenpox Spread?
Chickenpox is contagious (say: kon-tay-jus), meaning that someone who has it can easily spread it to someone else. Someone who has chickenpox is most contagious during the first 2 to 5 days that he or she is sick. That's usually about 1 to 2 days before the rash shows up. So you could be spreading around chickenpox without even knowing it!

 

[BreezyCooking]

You know what? Is it really a totally DESPERATE situation that you bake these cookies for other people?

I mean, really, regardless of the usual stuff regarding how chicken pox is transmitted, do you really want to take a chance?

If even one person who eats your cookies develops chicken pox - even if they catch it having nothing to do with your cookies - do you really want that stigma?

If I were in your shoes, I'd squash the cookie-baking for now. I really can't imagine any sort of "cookie emergency" where you really have to make cookies at this time.

 

[mudbug]

geez, Breezy, what if the "someone in the house" is ready's kid??????

"Stigma"? Did I miss something here?

 

[BreezyCooking]

Oh for God's sake Mudbug - of course this doesn't pertain to Ready's own family. Geesh. My point was that if she was making these cookies for someone OUTSIDE of her household & they then came down with chickenpox, that she might be blamed. Thus, stigma. Understand now?

I was talking about making cookies for someone outside of the family. The original poster asked if it would be okay to "make cookies for people". She didn't clarify if this was just for the household or for outside people. I apologize if I automatically assumed that that meant "people" outside of the immediate family.

Again, I repeat - & for Mudbugs sake - will enunciate that "I personally do not think it would be a good idea to make cookies or anything else for that matter, that will be consumed for anyone outside of the immediate family residing in the home where the chicken pox victim resides."

I also wouldn't prepare food or baked goods for people outside of a household where measles, mumps, or any other contagious disease was in residence.

I hope I've now made myself perfectly clear.

 

[mudbug]

My bad, Breezy. I read it exactly the opposite of how you did and reacted too fast. that's me sometimes - ready, fire, aim.

you're right if it's for someone not in the same house.

accept my apology, please, for ruffling your feathers wongly.

 

[BreezyCooking]

Dear, dear Mudbug - no, it wasn't your bad at all. And it's me who should be apologizing completely for my tone.

Yesterday was a "day from ****" for me - leaking windows, no hay delivery, muddy cranky horses, & a husband who, because of the D.C. flooding, has had a 3-hour-each-way commute since Monday & has been arriving home screaming like a werewolf. By Tuesday night I was ready to hang myself from the shower curtain rod, & I should have just refrained from posting anything anywhere yesterday - lol!!!!

I TOTALLY & COMPLETELY take full responsibility for my snarkiness & apologize for it. Now - where's my glass of wine & my valium - it's starting to rain again here - lol!!!!!

 

[mudbug]

If it's raining in Culpeper that means it's coming my way.

We were fortunate in not having to endure any of the misery that so many of our fellow National Capital Region neighbors are experiencing, so I can sympathize, Breezy. I had to make one 8-mile detour on the way home the other night but that was it.

Nevertheless, I am so ready for this vacation to begin. (tipping my glass) here's to a better weekend for you!

 

[BreezyCooking]

Well, for your info & safety's sake, it's been one strong thunderbuster after another here, moving west/northwest to east/northeast. Lots of lightning & strong rain showers. Then sun, then another storm. They started here around 1:30 p.m. & are still going strong, one right after the other. In fact, the sky is black with lightning flashing as I type.

Good luck - maybe it will pass you by. These weather patterns seem to be hit & miss.

 

[Michelemarie]

Breezycooking - you don't need a glass of wine you need the bottle. Sorry to hear of your bad days.

I would probably not be baking cookies either - but I am a freakazoid about germs. As far as that chicken pox vaccine - from what I have been told it is 50% effective against chicken pox BUT if the person does come down with the pox it is usually very mild - 1-5 pox. Oddly enough, my girlfriend's 3rd grade son had 4 kids out of his class last month with chicken pox and so did her 4th grade son - 5 kids out. All children had the vaccine. Interestingly enough, a couple days later I heard on the news that it may be that the vaccine is not strong enough and that it may be recommended that children get a double dose vaccine - now I don't know if that means a vaccine then a booster later or a double vaccine a week or so apart like the adult chicken pox vaccine ----hmmmmmm.

 

[Alix]

My Mom used to tell me about taking kids to "chicken pox parties". When one kid in the neighbourhood came down with it the mom would call around the neighbourhood and everyone would go over in hopes of catching it. They wanted to get it over and done with. LOL.

I haven't heard much about chicken pox being hard on people unless they were somehow immune compromised before exposure. I wonder if the virus has mutated at all so that it is harder on folks than it used to be? My girls caught it from their Dad. He got shingles (and THAT was icky) and then two weeks later BAM! Both kids had it. Fortunately it was summer and I just let them run outside naked as little jaybirds and no one was unduly troubled.

 

[Ken]

Fortunately it was summer and I just let them run outside naked as little jaybirds and no one was unduly troubled.

Just to be clear, I wore clothes.

 

[Andy M.]

Just to be clear, I wore clothes.

Another childhood trauma averted!

 

[Claire]

As most of us know, kids usually survive the pox without much more than uglies. DO NOT expose any unexposed adults to it. I was furious the year a relative brought her kid with it to my house without warning ... my husband has never had it and we didn't even know a vaccination existed. I wound up sending my husband to a neighbor for the holiday meals because we were too far along to cancel meals at our house. I was told "It isn't that big a deal", so called "ask-a-nurse" (a local toll free service) where I was told to get my husband away, period, unless we all wanted to be dealing with shingles as well as chicken pox. I've never heard of it being carried by food, though. Hubby ate leftovers and stayed healthy.