beth@umcp-cs.UUCP (Beth Katz) (01/12/85)
This discussion belong in net.kids more than net.singles, but the way Jim Harkins asked the questions, I guess it can continue in both. Jim Harkins writes: > ... there is a 3 year >old kid whose mother gave him herpes at birth by kissing him. Now >this kid is trying to go to school but it seems that herpes is >contagious so all the other kid's mothers are keeping their kids out of >school. School officials are trying to avoid spreading the disease by >making the kid (I'm going to call him Mikey, I don't know his real name) >wear clothes over all herpes sores on his body, and if one is on his face >or hands he can't go to school. This isn't good enough for the mothers, >they keep their kids out of school anyway. If I had a kid I probably >would do the same. First of all, this is happening in Maryland, although there are at least two other places in the country where it is also a controversy. As much as I've read in the Washington Post (where the subject is local news), neither parent nor any of his siblings has herpes. The child has a learning problem that is unrelated to the herpes and the classes are small but necessary. The school board hadn't thought out all the details before he was sent to school, and the other parents kept their kids home. It went before a judge who gave a temporary solution: Mikey must be examined each morning by a nurse to determine whether he has sores on his hands. If he does, he must go home. He must wear a one-piece suit to cover any sores on his body. His diaper must be changed in a separate room by someone wearing disposable gloves. He is entitled to attend school if these conditions are met. > ... One of his teachers even requested, and >got, transferred away from him on account that she has a skin desease >that made her more susceptible to catching the disease. The teacher stayed home one day because she had eczema on her hands. She has also requested to be transferred on principle. I don't think the two actions were related. >Now imagine how Mikey feels. Here he is, through no fault of his own, >destined to be a social outcast during his entire childhood. I'm sure >we were all ostracized (sp?) at least once in our childhoods, but that >was a temporary thing lasting only for a few weeks or months. ... >What kind of a person will Mikey grow up to be? All his life he hasn't >had a single friend, in fact just the rumor that he will be somewhere is >enough to clear out the area. This kid will probably grow up hating >the human race, and with good reason. His chances of having a productive >and satisfying life are nil, he will most likely be a violent criminal >by the time he's 18. First of all, herpes is not as absolutely contagious as you seem to think. No one in this child's family has caught herpes. He has a bigger problem in that he has some learning disabilities that may hold him back more than the herpes scare. I bet his parents have tried to explain to him why the other kids aren't there, but he probably can't understand. I think the other parents were afraid that all the details had not been considered before he was brought into the classroom. I have problems understanding why most of the school stayed home. His class maybe (about 7 other children because it is special education), but not most of the school. Yes, herpes is contagious. But not all the time. It won't ruin your life even though you will have it for life or until they find a cure. It really sounds like you are hysterically afraid of herpes. Beth Katz {seismo,allegra,rlgvax}!umcp-cs!beth
sdyer@bbncca.ARPA (Steve Dyer) (01/13/85)
In my day, kids had "cold sores", and they weren't particularly
ostracised by the schools. It was incurable then, too. It's
a damn shame that our collective guilt at this newest sexually-transmitted
disease can cause such hysteria directed at this child.
--
/Steve Dyer
{decvax,linus,ima,ihnp4}!bbncca!sdyer
sdyer@bbncca.ARPAfnf@unisoft.UUCP (Fred Fish) (01/17/85)
> Steve Dyer writes: >In my day, kids had "cold sores", and they weren't particularly >ostracised by the schools. It was incurable then, too. It's >a damn shame that our collective guilt at this newest sexually-transmitted >disease can cause such hysteria directed at this child. Actually, I have heard the statistic quoted that more than 80% of the entire population either has the herpes simplex 1 virus (cold sore type), or has been exposed to it at one time or another, with the vast majority never having any outbreaks after the initial exposure. Any medical experts out there that can comment on this? -- Fred