With the Russian probe still floating in orbit, we’re going to shift our focus this week to a subject slightly off-topic, as the chicken pox are not exactly toxic.  However, recent news in this area justifies a post.

Moms across the country know that having a chicken pox party can be an efficient way to have the whole neighborhood get the virus so that the children won’t end up with it later.  (However, the British National Healthcare System has indicated that approximately thirteen percent of people actually do contract chicken pox more than once.)

At any rate, these “pox parties” have taken a turn for the worse, as some moms have offered to export their child’s virus to willing buyers in the form of lollipops.  It is one thing to have your child play with a friend and contract the virus that way.  But is it really necessary to have your child slobber all over a lollipop, only then to mail it to another child so they can unknowingly contract the disease by licking up another child’s slobber?  Needless to say, we at GoldenbergLaw do not endorse this practice.

Just in case you aren’t grossed out enough to refrain from participating in this facebook fad, there are also three other fantastic reasons to stay away from these saliva-saturated candies:

1) A chicken pox vaccine was introduced in 1995.

2) If you are still weary of the vaccine, then keep in mind that the lollipops likely are not the most efficient means of exposing your child to chickenpox anyway.   According to Isaac Thomsen, a specialist in pediatric infectious diseases at Vanderbilt Hospital, chickenpox is typically contracted through inhalation.  This means that your child just might require actual human interaction.  What a shame.

3) Third and quite importantly, there are actually legal repercussions for mailing infected lollipops.  After considering what could possibly be illegal about some contaminated candy, all we need to be reminded of is the anthrax scare a few years ago.  That was transported through the mail as well.  Consequently, it makes sense that it is a federal crime to transport diseases or viruses across state lines.  This means that whether you mail the lollipops through the mail or through a private carrier like FedEx, you could be facing up to twenty years in prison.

Now that all of this information is out there, let’s review: pox parties are a bad idea.  If you have questions about how to handle the chicken pox dilemma, please consult a doctor.  Facebook is not an adequate substitute.

For more information, please take a look at the articles from the following sources:

• The New York Times
• WebMD (on the chicken pox vaccine)
• WebMD (on all chicken pox-related inquiries)