Chickenpox Infected Lollipops

Mmmmm your mouth is watering already, isn't it? There's a new trend on the rise, either that or we're the victim of another media fabricated outrage story - which we do hope is the case because this is actually pretty ridiculous.

From Times-Georgian:

Local physicians are warning parents about a new mail order scheme of sharing lollipops, licked by children with chickenpox, as a way to create immunity against the disease instead of getting vaccinations.

The practice is reportedly being spread by Internet social media sites as an extension of the “pox party” concept, where parents deliberately expose their children to the virus.

Chickenpox, it wasn't really that bad was it? We got a bunch of itchy bumps all over our bodies for a few days and then it went away. And every kid got them, it wasn't a matter of if you were going to get chickenpox, but when. Well the good news is that for kids growing up today, there is a chickenpox vaccine which has been around since 1995. And most states require that kids get the vaccine before entering elementary school. Problem solved right? Well evidently there are some parents out there who are hesitant to have their kids vaccinated. And while it may not be the smartest thing to keep your kid from receiving a vaccination, we could understand those being hesitant. However, the purported reason that these people are weary of the vaccine: "many parents are afraid of the chickenpox vaccine because it uses a live virus."

So let me get this straight, you're worried about your child receiving the chickenpox vaccine because it uses the live virus, so you have your child lick a lollipop licked by someone with chickenpox... which presumably contains the live virus? I'm sorry but I'm not seeing much difference here, other than the increased risks associated with licking some sick kid's saliva.

According to Joanne LaSpina at PerkiomenValley, these chickenpox infected lollipops are going for $50 each and are being distributed through social media sites like Facebook. You know, I suddenly have a great idea to make a lot of money. How are these people going to know the lollipops were actually licked by a kid with chickenpox? I'm ordering a 20lb box of lollipops as we speak.