Rotorua Daily Post
  • Rotorua Daily Post home
  • Latest news
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Sport
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Residential property listings
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Rural
  • Sport

Locations

  • Tauranga
  • Te Puke
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Tokoroa
  • Taupō & Tūrangi

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales

Weather

  • Rotorua
  • Tauranga
  • Whakatāne
  • Tokoroa
  • Taupō

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Rotorua Daily Post

Parents scout daycares on pox hunt

Rotorua Daily Post
6 May, 2013 10:00 PM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Some Rotorua parents are taking their pre-school children to daycare in a bid to contract chicken pox.

But that's not wise, says the Bay of Plenty Medical Officer of Health.

Several Rotorua early childcare centres contacted by the Rotorua Daily Post said they had dealt with a number of cases of the childhood illness in recent weeks.

One centre said all 30 children attending their facility had contracted the illness at some stage but children had immediately been sent home. On several occasions, the centre had enquiries from parents whose children were not registered to attend the daycare, asking if their toddler could play with infected children in the hope of them contracting chicken pox.

The centre's manager didn't wish to be identified or have the centre named. She said they were bothered by the requests.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"It's their choice. I think, they just want to get it over and done with while their kids are little," she said.

Another early childhood centre said about 20 children had gone down with chicken pox in recent weeks but they had noticed a few of the parents were also commenting they had contracted the illness.

"The biggest thing is we have noticed, is the amount of adults that are getting it," the centre's manager said.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Bay of Plenty chief Medical Officer of Health Dr Phil Shoemack said chicken pox wasn't a notifiable disease but it was one infection just about every child would contract.

"It's an endemic infection ..."

However, deliberately exposing children to the illness wasn't recommended, Dr Shoemack said.

"It's not the wisest thing to do ... travelling to get an illness is an unusual approach to life."

But once one child contracts it, others will follow suit. There may be no signs a child is infected until after the weeping spots appear.

"It's impossible to quell such an outbreak. [Children] are contagious the last few days before the spots appear."

Dr Shoemack said he would be surprised if more than a few adults in one area got chicken pox as it was predominantly a "childhood" illness.

Those most at risk were children with low immunity like those having chemotherapy treatment, he said.

Children are contagious until the spots have crusted over.

Chicken pox is a highly contagious disease which mainly affects children.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

It causes an itchy red rash usually starting on the face or head extending down the body. The red spots become fluid filled weeping blisters.

First signs of the disease can be cold-like symptoms, headaches and a fever which is soon followed by the spotty pimply rash and sores.

Chicken pox can spread by sneezing, coughing or contact with weeping blisters. Symptoms may not appear until two to three weeks after contact with an infected person.

About 90 per cent of children who experience the virus develop an immunity to it.

In rare cases there can be serious complication like pneumonia, inflammation of the joints, kidneys and liver or nervous system problems.

If you are concerned about someone with chicken pox, call Healthline on (freephone) 0800 611 116 or contact your doctor.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Save

    Share this article

Latest from Rotorua Daily Post

Rotorua Daily Post

Mixed verdicts delivered for Tribesmen accused of murdering one of their own

11 Jul 05:00 AM
Rotorua Daily Post

Pair deny charges over death of Paige Johnson in alleged hit-and-run

11 Jul 12:26 AM
Rotorua Daily Post

Home-schooled students ride 755km to Parliament for equal sports access

10 Jul 11:07 PM

From early mornings to easy living

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Rotorua Daily Post

Mixed verdicts delivered for Tribesmen accused of murdering one of their own

Mixed verdicts delivered for Tribesmen accused of murdering one of their own

11 Jul 05:00 AM

Mark 'Shark' Hohua died in June 2022 after a violent assault over money.

Pair deny charges over death of Paige Johnson in alleged hit-and-run

Pair deny charges over death of Paige Johnson in alleged hit-and-run

11 Jul 12:26 AM
Home-schooled students ride 755km to Parliament for equal sports access

Home-schooled students ride 755km to Parliament for equal sports access

10 Jul 11:07 PM
Heavy rain warning issued for Bay of Plenty, up to 140mm expected

Heavy rain warning issued for Bay of Plenty, up to 140mm expected

10 Jul 10:57 PM
Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Rotorua Daily Post e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Rotorua Daily Post
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP