> We should be vaccinating kids against all of them rather than sending them to Chickenpox parties.
This has been the standard of care ever since the vaccine became available in the 90s (US). The origin of the "parties" was that first-time chickenpox was perceived to be less harmful in children than adults prior to the vaccine, so you wanted to make sure people's first exposure wasn't in adulthood.
Unfortunately that is not the case for me in the Netherlands. No Chickenpox vaccination is offered and making sure kids get it early is still considered the right way to do immunization.
The idea being that it's better for people to get it as kids, because if you give them vaccines as kids you'll have to give them boosters as adults. Whereas a latent disease will provide a lifetime of immunity.
It's not offered but you can still get it. I had to literally ask my huisarts (GP) to google it after he said there is no such thing. Luckily, he did and local hospital pharmacy had it in stock.
> The idea being that it's better for people to get it as kids, because if you give them vaccines as kids you'll have to give them boosters as adults. Whereas a latent disease will provide a lifetime of immunity.
Adults vaccinated against chickenpox do not need boosters as adults.
The virus lies dormant in spinal and cranial ganglia for decades. If it reactivates, the immune system suppresses it, in the meantime. Past age 50-60, immunity wanes and these reactivations cannot be suppressed which allows the virus to travel back to the corresponding skin region as the spine segment to cause shingles. Presumably, after this the virus can also cross the blood brain barrier to cause neurodegeneration.
This has been the standard of care ever since the vaccine became available in the 90s (US). The origin of the "parties" was that first-time chickenpox was perceived to be less harmful in children than adults prior to the vaccine, so you wanted to make sure people's first exposure wasn't in adulthood.