|
Updated: 8:30 PM Nov 21, 2011
12 News On Your Side: Parent pox parties causing concern
Parents who are opposed to the chickenpox vaccine are taking extreme steps to expose their children to the virus. The growing popularity of pox parties is creating a concern among the medical community.
Posted: 7:49 PM Nov 21, 2011Reporter: Elizabeth Owens Email Address: liz.owens@wrdw.com |
Pox parties, gatherings where parents try to expose their children to chickenpox, are becoming a scary phenomenon nationwide. (WRDW-TV / Nov. 21, 2011)
|
News 12 at 6 o'clock / Monday, Nov. 21, 2011
AUGUSTA, S.C. -- A quick search on Facebook reveals pages of pox party information sites.
One parent posts, "I wish I could find a Pox Party!!!" Another asks, "Would like to find one in South Georgia or Tallahassee, Fl. We are in the Bainbridge, GA area."
Parents on these websites are looking for pox parties where they can intentionally expose their children to chickenpox. Some parents are even looking for lollipops laced for the virus.
"I think it's kind of risky, especially now days you can't trust anybody, said Christian Dowdy, whose little girls have had the chickenpox vaccine.
Some parents are suspicious of it and turn to what they believe is a more natural way of infecting their children
Dr. Debbie Harris warns a risk is involved anytime your child is exposed to chickenpox, let alone with pox lollipops.
"You don't know where its coming from, you don't know who made it, you don't know what other ingredients are in it. I'm a parent also and I would want to know what I am putting in my child," she said. "Chickenpox is one of those diseases that you can have some very bad outcomes and as a parent you don't know if your child is going to have one of those bad outcomes."
Mailing any virus through the mail is considered to be illegal.
Have information or an opinion about this story? Click here to contact the newsroom.
Copyright WRDW-TV News 12. All rights reserved. This material may not be republished without express written permission.
Call for Action is a consumer advocacy group that works out of News 12 to help viewers solve consumer issues. Volunteers take calls Tuesdays and Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
If you would like to become a volunteer, call (803) 442-4550 (Tuesday or Wednesday) or email callforaction@wrdw.com.
P.O. Box 1212
Augusta, Georgia 30903-1212
Phone: (803) 278-1212 ext. 450
Fax: (803) 442-4561
At WRDW News 12, we receive hundreds of phone calls and letters weekly from people with consumer problems. Many situations can be resolved with a simple phone call. Here is a "printer-friendly list" of Consumer Agencies and Phone Numbers.
For a list of recent recalls, visit Recalls.gov, your online resource for recalls.
Click here to visit Mouseprint.org, a site that exposes misleading advertising and marketing materials.
Click here to visit ConsumerAffairs.com, an independent Web-based consumer news and resource center.
Click here to sign up for free vehicle recall alerts.
If you think you may be the victim of identity theft, click here to visit the Federal Trade Commission's website.
Click here to report an Internet crime.
