Ryanair Crew Member had ChickenPox on flight

CosmicFool

So I got an email off Ryanair today to inform us tjat a crew member had Chicken pox on a flight home to Dublin from Warsaw on Thursday.

I cannot for the life of me remember of I got chicken pox as a kid and either does the parents.

Do I tell work? Will I need to stay at home? I don't know what to do to be honest.

bisset

As far as I know unless you have a preexisting condition or are a pregnant woman you dont have to worry. I caught chicken pox a few years ago from one of my children. GP gave me a sick note for a week. Not pleasant but managable.

otnomart

Chicken pox has an 'incubation period".
NHS website: "It takes 1 to 3 weeks from the time you were exposed to chickenpox for the spots to start appearing."
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/chickenpox/

Cloudio9

You probably won’t get it.

If you start to come out in spots your gp will prescribe anti viral meds as it can be more severe in adults.

I got it a few years ago from my kids. The worst part was the itchiness.

Toots

A blood test will tell if you’ve had it and produced the antibodies or not. It’s very straightforward, and one that all women are tested for in early pregnancy. Even if you don’t have immunity, you may not get it - my son was exposed to chicken pox loads of times and only finally ended up getting it this year at age 7. However, if you do get it, you’re contagious for 2 days before the spots appear, so you could potentially infect others without even realising you have it yet.

I would discuss it with work. There may be people in your office who are either pregnant or have a weakened immune system or something that could mean that getting chicken pox could cause complications.

strandroad

As an adult the worst thing that could happen to you now as a result is pneumonia. But if you get chicken pox, the same virus also causes shingles, and if shingles flares up it's at best unpleasant and at worst potentially nerve damaging especially in older people.

Chicken pox carries risk to pregnant women (I presume you're not one of them since you don't mention it?), it's very small but it has the potential to severely damage the developing baby if someone is unlucky so you don't want to carry it around or to work with you - learn about the symptoms and take sick leave as soon as you can if you notice them.

theguzman

strandroad wrote: »

As an adult the worst thing that could happen to you now as a result is pneumonia. But if you get chicken pox, the same virus also causes shingles, and if shingles flares up it's at best unpleasant and at worst potentially nerve damaging especially in older people.

Chicken pox carries risk to pregnant women (I presume you're not one of them since you don't mention it?), it's very small but it has the potential to severely damage the developing baby if someone is unlucky so you don't want to carry it around or to work with you - learn about the symptoms and take sick leave as soon as you can if you notice them.

I had the Chicken Pox as a 4 year old kid, last year suring Storm Emma with the huge snow I got severely run down as I working very hard with little sleep and a bad diet, I broke out in the shingles as the same Chicken Pox virus remains dormant and can break out during the right conditions as I experienced. They were very painful but went away after 3 weeks but it took 6 months for the scar marks to fully disappear. I was particually upset as I was due to go to Asia and thought I would have to cancel but luckily was cured before I went on a course of Anti-Virals, same meds they use for Cold Sores and Herpes.

CosmicFool

Sound lads. I'll go to the doctor tomorrow and get them to check.
Here's the email I received.

"Dear Customer

Ryanair has been notified by the health authorities of a Crew Member who operated a recent flight with us (see details below) who has subsequently been diagnosed with Chicken Pox.

The affected flight is:

FR8012 From Warsaw Modlin to Dublin 06th June 2019.

As there may be a chance that this person may have spread the virus during your flight, you should contact a doctor immediately if you have any of the following symptoms:

• Flu-like Symptoms
• Red spots
• Blisters

Anyone who may have been exposed, if not already immune, may develop measles symptoms about 14 days after exposure (range 10-21 days after exposure)

Please do not contact Ryanair regarding this health advisory notice.

Ryanair Customer Service"

strandroad

theguzman wrote: »

I had the Chicken Pox as a 4 year old kid, last year suring Storm Emma with the huge snow I got severely run down as I working very hard with little sleep and a bad diet, I broke out in the shingles as the same Chicken Pox virus remains dormant and can break out during the right conditions as I experienced. They were very painful but went away after 3 weeks but it took 6 months for the scar marks to fully disappear.

I have faint scarring from mine still and it was 15 years ago! Horrible annoyance to go through. It can cause severe and permanent nerve pain in older people, there are preventative shots now I believe, I need to look into it.

LorelaiG

CosmicFool wrote: »

Sound lads. I'll go to the doctor tomorrow and get them to check.
Here's the email I received.

"Dear Customer

Ryanair has been notified by the health authorities of a Crew Member who operated a recent flight with us (see details below) who has subsequently been diagnosed with Chicken Pox.

The affected flight is:

FR8012 From Warsaw Modlin to Dublin 06th June 2019.

As there may be a chance that this person may have spread the virus during your flight, you should contact a doctor immediately if you have any of the following symptoms:

• Flu-like Symptoms
• Red spots
• Blisters

Anyone who may have been exposed, if not already immune, may develop measles symptoms about 14 days after exposure (range 10-21 days after exposure)

Please do not contact Ryanair regarding this health advisory notice.

Ryanair Customer Service"

Why do they say chicken pox and then further down say measles? While both are viral infections measles has much more significant side effects than chicken pox does and I'd be clarifying which they mean.

coylemj

LorelaiG wrote: »

Why do they say chicken pox and then further down say measles? While both are viral infections measles has much more significant side effects than chicken pox does and I'd be clarifying which they mean.

There's nothing to clarify. They said 'measles symptoms' because some of the symptoms of chicken pox are similar to measles - spots.

amdublin

coylemj wrote: »

There's nothing to clarify. They said 'measles symptoms' because some of the symptoms of chicken pox are similar to measles - spots.

I'd disagree

Is it a typo in the letter?? Which was it - measles or chickenpox?

Measles has implications for pregnant women, chicken pox do not

They are too entirely different illnesses. Like which one was It?!

LorelaiG

coylemj wrote: »

There's nothing to clarify. They said 'measles symptoms' because some of the symptoms of chicken pox are similar to measles - spots.

I'd disagree. Measles and chicken pox while they may have some similar symptoms are quite different in how they present where the rash is concerned.

I would be clarifying which they mean because again if he has been exposed to measles it could be a lot more dangerous than chicken pox.

LorelaiG

amdublin wrote: »

I'd disagree

Is it a typo in the letter?? Which was it - measles or chickenpox?

Measles has implications for pregnant women, chicken pox do not

They are too entirely different illnesses. Like which one was It?!

Chicken pox also has implications for pregnant women.

Nijmegen

To ask the Maria Bailey question, I wonder what exposure Ryanair would have if you did come down with something. Anyways, hope it works out ok for you OP.

artanevilla

Nijmegen wrote: »

To ask the Maria Bailey question, I wonder what exposure Ryanair would have if you did come down with something. Anyways, hope it works out ok for you OP.

None.

Credit Checker Moose

Surely they have a duty of care towards customers not to give them infectious diseases?

Locker10a

Credit Checker Moose wrote: »

Surely they have a duty of care towards customers not to give them infectious diseases?

What do you expect them to do? A health check at the boarding gate on every flight to make sure everyone is in top health?
There’s a reason it’s recommended to allow your your kids to pick up the chicken pox young, because at some point you’ll probably encounter it and if you’ve had it then you’re pretty much safe.

Credit Checker Moose

A health check at the boarding gate on every flight to make sure everyone is in top health?

That actually happens in some countries.

It is one thing to allow a sick passenger onboard but to allow an infectious crew member is something they could have prevented.

Fann Linn

Shingles!!!

Del2005

Credit Checker Moose wrote: »

That actually happens in some countries.

It is one thing to allow a sick passenger onboard but to allow an infectious crew member is something they could have prevented.

People are infectious a few days before the symptoms appear. How are they supposed to see if a person is an invection risk if they don't have any symptoms?

coylemj

Credit Checker Moose wrote: »

It is one thing to allow a sick passenger onboard but to allow an infectious crew member is something they could have prevented.

'could have prevented' ..... how? It has an incubation period of between one and three weeks (see post #3 below) so not even the crew member knew they were infected.

otnomart wrote: »

Chicken pox has an 'incubation period".
NHS website: "It takes 1 to 3 weeks from the time you were exposed to chickenpox for the spots to start appearing."
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/chickenpox/

Irish Steve

Toots wrote: »

A blood test will tell if you’ve had it and produced the antibodies or not. It’s very straightforward, and one that all women are tested for in early pregnancy. Even if you don’t have immunity, you may not get it - my son was exposed to chicken pox loads of times and only finally ended up getting it this year at age 7. However, if you do get it, you’re contagious for 2 days before the spots appear, so you could potentially infect others without even realising you have it yet.

It would be impractical to be carrying out blood tests on every crew member before each flight, for all manner of reasons, and the test then has to be analysed.

As mentioned above, the carrier is contagious for 2 days before it becomes apparent that they have the illness, so the practical reality is that it is impossible to attribute any blame or responsibility to any employer if a staff member becomes ill with Chickenpox.

MOD NOTE
If we get too many more inappropriate posts in this thread, I will be closing it on the basis that it's pretty much run its course, and there's nothing new likely to be added.

1123heavy

strandroad wrote: »

As an adult the worst thing that could happen to you now as a result is pneumonia. But if you get chicken pox, the same virus also causes shingles, and if shingles flares up it's at best unpleasant and at worst potentially nerve damaging especially in older people.

I had shingles when I was 4, it is one of few memories i have from that age if that's any indicator of how horrific it was!

plodder

Credit Checker Moose wrote: »

Surely they have a duty of care towards customers not to give them infectious diseases?

Informing their customers as soon as they found out about it was pretty much all they could do, and they did it. Though the confusion over measles and Chicken Pox detracts from that somewhat.

Credit Checker Moose

If the person had no symptoms at the time, that's fair enough.

Personally I am in my mid 40's and have never had them. It is the one thing I am petrified of getting. I am afraid that they would kill me.

Zimmerframe

I was in my mid forties, when I visited my sisters kid who I knew had chicken pox. I wrongly assumed that I had it, as a kid.
A week or so later, I found out that I hadn't, but that now I have.
It was not a pleasant experience.
Plus when I was at my worst, my sister sent her aforementioned kid to my front door to do his "chicken impression"

plodder

Zimmerframe wrote: »

Plus when I was at my worst, my sister sent her aforementioned kid to my front door to do his "chicken impression"

When I saw the thread title, I expected that was the direction it was going to take, with "poxy Ryanair" and all the rest of it ..

Candamir

Credit Checker Moose wrote: »

If the person had no symptoms at the time, that's fair enough.

Personally I am in my mid 40's and have never had them. It is the one thing I am petrified of getting. I am afraid that they would kill me.

There are probably a million things that will kill you before chicken pox will.
But if you’re that irrationally petrified, you could consider getting vaccinated!

Credit Checker Moose

That's easier said than done. I have been laughed at by a few doctors I have asked.

LorelaiG

Credit Checker Moose wrote: »

That's easier said than done. I have been laughed at by a few doctors I have asked.

You then make a complaint about them to the Irish Medical Council so... if you want the vaccine then they should give it. It does have to be paid for though.

Are you sure you've never had them though, not even a mild dose? Can you get your titre's checked?

Credit Checker Moose

Nope. Nor have my siblings. I remember the measles and mumps when kids but never the pox. My parents were quite studious in keeping us free of it.

L1011

A travel medicine clinic is more likely to have and give the vaccine.

Locker10a

Credit Checker Moose wrote: »

Nope. Nor have my siblings. I remember the measles and mumps when kids but never the pox. My parents were quite studious in keeping us free of it.

Most parents actually go out of their way to make sure their kids get the chicken pox young, to avoid this exact situation when they’re adults.