Chickenpox Party: Woman Sells Candy Laced with Virus on Facebook
It's a new kind of "chickenpox party" for the digital age. Instead of forcing your kids to play with infected friends, why not just make 'em suck on sick kids' lollipops?
One mom in Nashville thought it was a sweet idea, so she sold the pops on Facebook -- after her kids drenched them with an unhealthy dose of chickenpox-infected drool.
Wendy Werkit also sold her kids' saliva and infected q-tips -- just $50 with overnight shipping.
The goal was the same as a "chickenpox party" -- to expose children to the disease and make them immune, without giving them the vaccine.
But experts say sucking tainted lollipops won't work. They also warn that chickenpox parties may be potentially dangerous.
It's not clear how many sick shipments Werkit made before her online lollipop shop got a taste of notoriety.
A local TV station found the Facebook page -- entitled "Find a Pox Party Near You" -- and put Werkit on the news. That drew attention from federal prosecutors.
But it only took U.S. Attorney Jerry Martin a few licks to get to the center of this controversy. He went on TV to warn everyone that sending infectious diseases through the mail is illegal.
It's the same law that prohibits sending anthrax in the mail, and can get you up to 20 years in prison.
Werkit has now taken down the Facebook post that offered the infectious treats -- a welcome move for critics who may have felt her new twist on a chickenpox party really, really sucked.
Related Resources:
- Chickenpox lollipops: Do parents go too far to protect their kids? (WSMV-TV)
- Chicken Pox Lollipops Sent In The Mail (VIDEO) (Huffington Post)
- Varicella (Chickenpox) Vaccination (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
- What Is Ricin? 4 Arrested in GA Terror Plot (FindLaw Blotter)