A new mother had chicken pox as a child why doesn't her newborn infant get the disease even after being expos?

Question

to the virus that causes it

Answer 1

I thought it was because the virus has to be active to be contagious, not dormant, like it would be in the mother.

Answer 2

I don't see what the mother having chicken pox has to do with anything? It's not like she is walking around with it still. The child will have to be exposed to someone who has it at the moment, not 20-30 years ago.

Answer 3

Wait....what?

that's like asking...My mom had a cold 13 yrs ago, why haven't i gotten it then?

the mother had ckn pox as a CHILD and you are wondering why her baby some odd 20-30 yrs later doesn't get it?

well for one, the mother doesn't' HAVE ckn pox now so the baby isn't exposed to the diseases to start with. and second, since mom had it as a kid she built up a natural immunity to the disease and passed that immunity on to her baby if she is breast feeding.

you have to be around someone with an ACTIVE case of ckn pox in order to contract it.

i have 4 kids, i had ckn pox as a 5 yr old. NONE of my kids has ever had it.

my two oldest kids had the ckn pox vaccine at age 2, and my 2 yr old daughter just got hers, my 10 mon old will get his at 2 yrs as well, but until then my immunity that i give in my breast milk keeps my 10 mon old from getting it as an infant.

Answer 4

There are several diseases that newborn babies don't generally get if the mom had them. The mothers antibodies are passed to the baby during pregnancy and breastfeeding in the early days. They are usually only protected for the first 3 months or so.

Answer 5

Not everyone that is exposed will get it and some people have an immunity to it.

Answer 6

Not yet. The baby might get it later on his life.