Measles jab

My mum now 89 caught measles as a child and was left partially deaf in one ear .
My AC born 1990 and 93 both had the MMR vaccine. This was around the time of the scare regarding the link to autism. A lot of my mum friends decided against the vaccine but I researched it thoroughly and opted to let them have it.
Measles is a horrible disease, however many parents these days , think it’s a mild disease with a few spots .

HelterSkelter1

Yes Allira my daughters 1977 and 1979 didn't have the whooping cough vaccine because of the scare. Which was so well publicised and frightening. My elder daughter caught it just as she started school at 5 and had it badly. Her younger sister also but she had it so mildly luckily. I felt very guilty.
The elder has always since then had bad long lasting coughs and is currently suffering from long covid which has now been given a diagnosis of ME and chronic fatigue.
If I could go back, I would of course have them both vaccinated against whooping cough.

I had the others vaccinated because DD1 had been poorly with it and she was only a toddler at the time. The scare was well-publicised.

I had measles over seventy years ago. Two weeks in bed and brown paper round the bedroom light. It left me with damaged hearing. DC had the vaccines

Yes Allira my daughters 1977 and 1979 didn't have the whooping cough vaccine because of the scare. Which was so well publicised and frightening. My elder daughter caught it just as she started school at 5 and had it badly. Her younger sister also but she had it so mildly luckily. I felt very guilty.
The elder has always since then had bad long lasting coughs and is currently suffering from long covid which has now been given a diagnosis of ME and chronic fatigue.
If I could go back, I would of course have them both vaccinated against whooping cough.

Just to report that GS is at home and now recovering. Temp has gone down and his spots are fading. The few days when the temp spikes persistently is the crisis point. In other illnesses the fever is easier to bring down but with measles it is notoriously difficult.
Thanks for all good wishes 🌹

Yes, when mine were little, the measles jab was given at about 15 months. Two of mine couldn’t have it because they were allergic to eggs, only mildly allergic, it caused them mild eczema. Our daughter had it because she wasn’t allergic to eggs. But then she had a booster when she was a teenager and we had a measles outbreak, and my younger son had it then too, because by then he was eating eggs without problems. They all had some other vaccines, there was polio, diphtheria, and tetanus I think. All given together. I can’t remember whether mine had whooping cough, I think they didn’t but I might be wrong. The MMR was introduced later and my grandchildren all had it. I can’t remember how old they were though. I think my daughter was given the Rubella vaccine at school, but she was just too old to get the one designed to protect from cervical cancer sadly.

madalene

I thought theMMR vaccine was given quite early, about two months or three months old. Then further boosters during the first year.

Babs I hope your grandson gets well soon.

I think the measles vaccine was given at about 15 months. DD2 was under 12 months when she caught measles.

I didn't let DD1 have the whooping cough vaccine because there was a scare about it at the time. Of course, she caught it and it caused ongoing problems.

We both had the measles jab in 2018. We were going on a cruise, mainly to Japan, it called a Shanghai and two days in Taiwan. Apparently there was a measles outbreak in Taipei at the time. We didn’t go to Taipei, but explored independently the first day and took a guided trip into the mountains to a village the second day. Taiwan is a gorgeous island if you ever have the opportunity to visit.

Ahhh, thanks for the information Babs.
Poor baby, I hope he’s feeling better very soon.

My oldest child couldn’t have live vaccines. Herd immunity is so important and sadly I think that has been lost for measles.

So glad to hear your GS seems to be on the mend.

My daughter was in hospital with gastro enteritis when she was a year old and they were worried about possible kidney damage so I was told not to have her vaccinated against measles. She was about 5 when she caught measles and wasn't too bad, but had to be in a darkened room because her eyes were so sensitive. 45 years later her eyes are still very sensitive to sunlight and she spends a lot of the year wearing sunglasses.

I was 13 when I caught measles. It went straight to my chest and I missed a month of school. Basically it was horrible.

GS coming home again this morning. Giving painkillers has brought temp down so thank God he didn’t fit.
Hoping he will turn a corner now, spots seem to be fading a bit, not as clumped so 🙏🏾
@madalane they vaccinate against meningitis at an earlier age but MMR isn’t given until they are one year old.
X

I thought theMMR vaccine was given quite early, about two months or three months old. Then further boosters during the first year.

Babs I hope your grandson gets well soon.

Neighbours sent their children round (a 'mumps party')

I wonder if more parents are reluctant to have their babies and children vaccinated since the MMR vaccine became the norm?

Perhaps they think having the three vaccines at once is too much and if they were offered separately would the uptake ne higher?
There was no mumps vaccine when mine were young and I remember sending their children round when mine caught mumps so they could catch it when they were young as it can cause more problems for older boys.

Measles is a horrible thing, I do hope your little one begins to recover very soon babs. It’s scary to see them so unwell when they’re little.
My oldest daughter, despite being vaccinated, had measles when she was 11. I was shocked at how ill she, an otherwise healthy and robust child, became. Like many others. I fail to understand why parents don’t ensure that their children are vaccinated against. what can be, such serious conditions. I’ve often wondered if our daughter being diagnosed with asthma and various other allergic conditions was connected to her having had measles only a few months before.

Babs03, I am so sorry that you and your family are going through this.

I quite agree with you that we have a duty not only to our own children but also to others and should have our children fully immunised as soon as they are old enough.

My mother had a classmate who died of diphtheria and my father knew someone who had polio, so they knew why we should have all the immunisations that were available. The trouble is that now people are fortunate enough not to have direct experience of so many diseases and so they don’t realise the importance of prevention.

Glad to hear that things are improving Babs.
I agree with you completely. The scaremongering doctor starting the anti - vaccine terror campaign has blood on his hands.
My daughter was hospitalised, aged one, with temperature spikes and febrile convulsions- later measles was confirmed. She bears the scar of the lumbar puncture still.
All of mine had all of their vaccinations, as have all of my grandchildren.
My Viking granddaughters have been vaccinated against chickenpox, also.

Thanks again. He is back in hospital because his temp is spiking again but the parents at least feel he is in the right place and staff have reassured them as much as poss.
In my opinion children unvaccinated should not be allowed nursery places or to be put on a waiting list for primary school if they are not vaccinated.
That might sound draconian but for families going through what ours are going through it really couldn’t be more stark the dangers parents who don’t vaccinate are visiting upon babies and small children.

Babs I do hope your little GS makes a swift recovery. Beyond my understanding why parents refuse to have their children vaccinated!!! The argument is they have a right to refuse vaccination - however they do not have a right to allow their children to infect others ! 😡Your GCs parents must be beside themselves with worry, as you say measles can cause hearing and sight problems. My friend is deaf - the result of childhood measles.
On a more positive note many infants catch measles and recover well ( me included!)
Please keep us posted on this thread and let us know how your little grandson is doing. If his parents have the slightest concern regarding his symptoms I am sure they will take no chances and immediately take him back to hospital. Do try not to overthink. 💐

I think that there should be a financial penalty for not vaccinating your children. So it's the parents choice. Not a nanny state decision. Child allowance withheld for example.

Of course it would be a nightmare to enforce.
I suppose if the UK were in a better financial position, parents could be offered a financial inducement. Gift vouchers for example.

OP I do hope your GS makes a speedy recovery. Poor little chap. And poor parents.

Unfortunately not only do parents consider vaccines 'dangerous' but many health care workers don't consider it that important either.

My grandchild isn't vaccinated but no one, including the GP, seems to care.

It's a crisis in the making for all kids and it isn't good enough.

A few of the really scary things about measles:

1. It's INCREDIBLY contagious. I have been told (learned this in a continuing education short course) that FIVE MINUTES with an infected person is enough for you to be infected.

2. You only need a population of 100,000 susceptible people for it to keep spreading. In epidemiological terms, that's not a lot.

3. I read on Medscape (web site for health care professionals) that there is evidence that measles can depress the immune system for up to two years after the infection.

I do hope your little GS gets better soon. You're absolutely correct that he is too young to have had the vaccine; being a live vaccine (at least here in Canada and I assume the UK is similar) it is normally only administered after 12 months of age. Sometimes if there's an outbreak they will decrease that age to 6 months, but live vaccines are most effective if given after 1 year of age.

Babs03 I hope he makes a good recovery.

My youngest caught measles before she was old enough to be vaccinated although my other DC had had their vaccinations.

She didn't need to be hospitalised and did recover well thank goodness.