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Unvaccinated child dies after contracting measles

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http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2-2116018,00.html

 

 

 

The Times

April 03, 2006

 

 

 

 

Decline in MMR uptake blamed for measles death

By Nicola Woolcock and Nigel Hawkes Health Editor

 

 

 

 

 

A FALL in the number of parents allowing their children to have the combined measles, mumps and rubella vaccine has been blamed for a resurgence of measles that has claimed the life of a 13-year-old boy.

 

More people have been infected in the first three months of this year than the whole of 2005, and at least 30 children have caught measles in a single outbreak in South Yorkshire.

 

The teenager is Britain?s first fatality in 14 years.

 

Immunisation rates here, eight years after the first scare over the combined measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine, are among the lowest in Western Europe. Fears that the triple jab could lead to autism caused take-up to fall from over 90 per cent in 1998 to less than 80 per cent two years ago. Currently, 81 per cent of children have the combined vaccine before they are two; many European countries achieve the 95 per cent coverage recommended by the World Health Organisation to prevent outbreaks.

 

The 13-year-old who died last month lived in a travellers? community. It is thought that he had a weakened immune system; he was being treated for a lung condition. The boy died of an infection of the central nervous system caused by a reaction to the measles virus. The Health Protection Agency described his death as shocking.

 

There have been 100 cases of measles this year, compared with 77 in all of last year. Of the 72 cases of measles confirmed by the middle of last month nine patients were hospitalised.

 

A number of cases were among the travelling community, which has a low uptake of MMR vaccine. Two jabs are needed to give complete protection and, of the 72 confirmed cases, two children had received only the first injection.

 

Many parents now opt for single vaccines against measles, mumps and rubella rather than the combined jab. This year three patients caught measles despite having had single-vaccine jabs. Two of these were given in South Africa.

 

In the Doncaster outbreak, 32 cases have been confirmed and 36 are being investigated.The first infections developed among children at the same playgroup who, at less than a year old, were too young to have had the MMR jab. The disease has now spread to older children and nearby areas.

 

Dr Wendy Phillips, a consultant in communicable disease control for the Health Protection Agency, said: ?People with measles are very infectious ? particularly from the start of symptoms to about four days after the rash develops. You can be very infectious before you even realise you have measles; once measles gets into a community, it spreads very quickly to anyone who is not protected.?

 

After the MMR jab was introduced in 1988, immunisation among British children at the age of 2 rose from about 75 per cent to 92 per cent. By 2004 developed countries such as Germany and Spain had an immunisation rate of more than 90 per cent, but Britain?s had fallen to 80 per cent. However, uptake is rising: provisional figures indicate that about 82 per cent of children are now vaccinated with MMR. There are no figures showing how many have had individual vaccines.

 

Despite popular belief that measles has been eradicated in the developed world, a substantial number of people still catch it. In 2004 France had 4,448 cases and Germany had 121.

 

Complications include severe coughs and breathing difficulties, ear and eye infections and pneumonia. Rarely, there can be serious complications affecting the brain and nervous system.

 

The Health Protection Agency said: ?We would urge parents to have their children vaccinated with MMR.?

 

� More than 1,000 staff at the Central Middlesex Hospital in northwest London were being vaccinated last night after a measles outbreak. Six nurses were in isolation after catching the disease from two children recently admitted to the hospital.

Edited by call me jaded

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Guest hallyscomet

Hi,

 

This is really awful news......they have to allow parents to give the injections singly, apparently this is much safer for children with ASD that cannot tolerate the three. I just posted an article about this coverup on General Discussion by Robert F. Kennedy, have a read.

 

I saw my son regress twice first at 18month and definitely again at age 15 with the booster. Many children can tolerate the three but not everyone.

 

Someone need to kick ass :angry: if you saw my son's school reports at age 14 and the regression since the Booster you would want to punch someones lights out, that is how I feel.

 

grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

:angry:

 

In Australia when I was complaining about this one parent forwarded a website of stories and pictures of children that had been ruined for life by other needles and treatments including the Hepatitis B injection, causing Epilepsy. My daughter had the Hep B and also had Epilepsy, I was in the process of getting this information from the GP to see if her Epilepsy co-incided with the Hep B injection, but didn't make the followup call after they went into archives. I will follow it up as this has reminded me of it. Just need to know the truth.

 

What point is it living in the dark........these pharmaceuticals need to be held accountable, stories need to come out of the woodwork.

 

They say they are removing the drug in the MMR that causes Autism to get worse. I know Autism is genetic but I know Autism regression when I see it. There is a difference between High Functioning Autism and Low Functioning Autism.

 

Sorry, having a rant. :angry: feel a bit better getting that off my chest. But this is obviously no excuse for refusing the MMR at all costs.

 

Iam just going to go into the backyard and have a good scream now.......aaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

 

 

:wacko::whistle: ffffffudge!!!!!!!!

 

rant over :tearful:

 

H.

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Such an awful thing to hear about, my friend lost a family member with measles and her 8 month old daughter caught last year and was very ill with it, luckily she pulled through, was a very scary time for her. My views won't change, even if it does cause Autism, I'd rather have a child with Autism than my child dying.

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the report does not mention the number of other people who have caught measles and had side effects. I know several young men who have had side effects following the disease.

 

 

Jen

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:( im sorry for the poor boy

but u got to remember the goverment will want to print out this storeys because it helps to back them up -this is only one incident.

u also have to wonder how come the goverment would not print if blairs son had had the mmr.

also such a high rise in asd being found in recent years.

the goverment r not stupid they actuaaly control the press and media. :whistle:

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I keep hearing on the radio that nurses at the Central Middlesex/Northwick Park are being vaccinated for measles. I'm wondering if they're being given MMR or a single measles vaccine?

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My eldest was vaccinated with the triple jab, and stopped talking at 18 months, which I put down to coincidence at the time. He went on to catch measles at his private nursery, age 3. His brother (below the age of immunisation, caught it too.) Eldest son went on to get "complications" including "suspected encephalitis" and was very ill and weak for the next year. He lost many of his skills.

 

My son was vaccinated. I was told at the time that immunisation does not neccessarily give full immunity and that about 3-4% of children, maybe, only get partial immunity or none at all. This ties in with the proportion of children at the nursery who came down with measles, despite being immunised. Many parents were shocked, and, most, being "well off" financially, followed it up in some detail? Measles was confirmed as the illness. (We only went back briefly before having to remove our child as he was too weak to attend after that.)

 

I was left with a "damaged" child whatever I did. At the time, it was very distressing to see my child so ill, and, whilst I don't want to upset anyone, I did ask myself whether it would have been kinder to have a child who simply died of measles, rather than a child who survived in a very poor state, with little or no support to deal with the consequences afterwards. I believe that quality of life (and my child was in constant pain with ongoing exhaustion and stress) is important, and, because I love my son so much, it broke my heart and soul to see him struggle so terribly with so little understanding of what he had been through. He has had to relearn many skills and is not the child he was.

 

For the record, my youngest had the 18 month MMR jab, but, we agreed with the doctors to miss the booster, as things were pretty obviously "different" for us.

 

Something is "different" with our family re our immunity and the measles virus. Have no answers other than to say that. For us it was a case of "Damned if you do...damned if you don't". Very difficult.

 

vs xx

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But this was the first fatality in 14 years ... put that into perspective!! How many children have died with a common cold in the last 14 years - thousands!!!

 

Measles is still very rare these days, very few are opting out of the MMR.

 

I know of loads of people who have had measles and mumps in infancy and have been fine - I'm one of them. Yes I know there are others that haven't been fine, but they are the minority.

 

My ASD son had his MMR at 14 months, but I declined the booster. My other son who is 15 months won't be having it unless I am sure he is NT .. then he can have it at 4 just before he starts school.

 

Personal choice. Just wanted to put a different opinion across.

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My son has often verbalised that he wishes he were dead, which is very distressing and I know is true having similar feelings myself, in recent years it is probably depression associated with unfortunately very complex negative things that have occured as a result of undx asd, and then even more negative consequences once dx, and because of inexperienced prejudiced harmful professionals, I'd take the risk of dying of measles anyday than being left with the fear and terror of being unable to cope , and suffering long term that way and just not knowing what to do about it or know how to communicate that in a way others can understand instead of thinking one is just being dramatic which is how it sounds i know. The likelihood of dying of measles is obviously not very likely,unless you have already got a compromised immune system in which case the mmr is also quite likely to harm you, as valian skylark said damned if you do damned if you don't.

 

I'm really sorry if Ihave offended or upset anyone, i don't intend too, and I know many people may not see why, but I can't help it and I'm just being honest

Edited by florrie

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No problem, Stephanie, I understand what you are trying to say.

 

Florrie, I think I might also understand where you are coming from. And I do hope you can tap into some more enlightened support very soon. It can be very hard without it. May I send >:D<<'> >:D<<'> >:D<<'> ? Thank you for posting.

 

vs xx

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My daughter had her first mmr at 15 months no problem developed entirely normally.She then went on to have her mmr booster at 4.Within 2 weeks she was severely autistic.After much deliberation gt ormond street diagnosed autistic encephalitus with mmr being the cause although the link could not be prooved!!!I was told she would stay like that for the rest of her life despite being entirely normal for the first four years of her life before she had her mmr.we were lucky in six months she had made a full recovery and is now nine and doing well living life to the full the same as all the other nine year old little girls in her class.you would never know.

 

I then went on to have a son who is now four.He is completely non vaccinated even down to him having his vitiamin k orally(the injection they give to babies when they are born.

 

With me it is a case of once bitten twice shy and i'll take my chances thanks.

 

Everyone can only do what is right for them or what they feel is right for them.yes it'a a gamble but i feel i have no other choice.I have never been hassled about my son being non vaccinated from anyone.

 

I have to say that in my daughters case I believe genetically she was at risk although i didn't realise it at the time.

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