I can remember all of my 10 siblings having the Chicken Pox back in the 1950′s along with all of our neighbor’s children. When I was growing up, Chicken Pox was considered a passage into adolescence and it was not feared.The death rate for chicken pox has dropped just like tuberculosis, scarlet fever, pertussis and measles due to improved sanitation, improved nutrition (better distribution of fruits and vegetables) and improved water supply from 1900 to 1940′s. By the 1950′s it was no longer the health threat it used to be. I was perplexed when they came out with the vaccine because it was for most, a benign illness that helped build the immune system.

Although it can be a serious illness and certainly not fun, I never heard of anyone dying from the illness while growing up. Out of my five unvaccinated children whom all got the chicken pox, I had one son who had it very hard and was pretty ill for about a week. I know first-hand how disruptive the illness can be for the family. Yes, chicken pox is an inconvenient illness, but not life threatening for most children. It is only dangerous for those who are immune compromised. If the vaccine protected us as implied, this vulnerable group of kids would perhaps benefit from the shot. That is not the case. Statistically, there are outbreaks of chicken pox in highly vaccinated populations calling for concerns of efficacy. It is a live virus vaccine that carries risk for the whole family and has never been tested for long-term safety. » Read more: Vaccines Side Effects – Chicken Pox Vaccination