Has anyone had measles as a child or their baby had measles?

[NellyMatrass]

Has anyone had measles as a child or their baby had measles? If so how did you or your baby cope?

Have you ever read Roald Dahl on the loss of his daughter to measles? It's heartbreaking.

My mother refused to vaccinate me because I’d had infant convulsions. This was in the 70s. I remember having rubella, and then mumps and chicken pox together, at the same time. I was very ill. Thankfully I never caught measles.

A neighbour did though, and is deaf as a result. For some time nobody realised she was deaf, and she was repeatedly punished for ‘not listening’ and labelled badly behaved and ‘stupid’ by her parents.

Standalone measles vaccines were available from the 60s, then combined measles/mumps, then MMR in the late 80s, so those of us who remember having been vaccinated in the 60s/70s are right, it was just the single vaccine.

I had measles in the 70s after vaccination, but before the two doses were recommended. I remember hallucinating, vomiting constantly, huge fever, fainting on the way to the bathroom, having to be sponged to keep the fever down etc. Such a relief when the rash came out because it meant the worst of the fever was over. In bed for say a week - really lying down in bed for a week, not just taking it easy - then a long convalescence and significant weight loss. I have hearing loss in one ear though not necessarily linked to that particular childhood illness.

My parents do remember children dying, losing their vision and suffering brain damage from measles encephalitis. It was a regular part of life for them.

OP, it’s completely understandable to be worried. Don’t beat yourself up, but discuss with the GP. Your child can be monitored carefully after the vaccination. If your child is prone to febrile convulsions it’s all the more reason to have him fully vaccinated.

I did. Can’t remember it, I was about 3, was seriously ill and hospitalized per my mum, that would be in the 60s long before the MMR. One of my (vaccinated to the nth degree) ‘babies’ got it when he was 15 in 2004. He fortunately had a very mild dose - and I can’t emphasize this enough - thanks to being vaccinated. Our (young) GP at that time had never seen an actual case of measles before and couldn’t decide whether he was more concerned about being confronted with an actual case of measles or being confronted with an actual case of apparent vaccine ‘failure’.

I had rubella as a baby, measles when I was five and then chickenpox. Measles was by far the worst I think, I was hallucinating I was so ill. I remember I couldn't get warm, I was constantly shivering but had a very high fever. We lived in the Highlands out in the country and I remember my mum had to call the doctor out in the middle of the night.

I had both types of measles as a baby. No lasting effects but my mother said I was very ill. My grandmother used herbal remedies on me.

I think you should speak to your child’s pediatrician about the risks.

A family friend of DH's had it as a child in the 80's. He was left with various problems including having seizures. He died of one in his 20's.

I had it in the 1960s (before the 1968 roll out of a jab - it was 20 years between start of effective immunisation and introduction of a combined jab)

I don't remember what it was like.

I have friends with permanent change to their hearing from when they had it

I had measles in the 70s. I was off school for 3 weeks bedbound. Luckily no lasting damage but I was very ill.

I had measles as a young child, the vaccination was still quite newish and my Mother did not get me vaccinated. I developed encephalitis and almost died. I then suffered really bad fits for three years and was on strong meds, used to wake up in hospital. I had a restricted driving licence for the first few years. Though I had a successful career and went to a red brick university it did leave me with mild brain damage. I am co ordinated in that I can catch a ball no problem but also very clumsy. I didn’t realise I had mild brain damage until very recently. Due to a severe illness a few years ago my wonderful GP decided to look through my notes while I was there. There was a consultants letter outlining my mild brain damage diagnosis. I do remember going and having readings taken where they stick wires all over your head. Nothing was explained to me neither by my Mother or the medical staff.

I remember being put down a year at school temporarily and had to relearn how to tell the time, tie shoe laces etc. I had taught myself to read before I went to school at 5. I had to relearn everything. I had measles when I was six.

I had mumps as a teenager and was incredibly unwell.

My grandmother had it as a toddler it made her deaf in one ear. For life.

I had measles and don't remember it being any more severe/ unpleasant than any of the others I had - mumps, German measles, chicken pox

Also born early 70s. Never got measles, but best mate and 2 younger siblings got it when she was 6. They were so ill they had to go to the isolation ward of the local hospital for treatment. I remember seeing her baby brother with it in distress.

My mum refused the whooping cough vaccine for me in the 70s - scare stories about brain damage. I got it and was really unwell.

I worked with someone who had hearing problems because of it

I have taught someone , I work in a special school, who had seizures and was visually impaired after having measles.

I had it as a child in the early 80s. Most people did. My cohort predated the MMR and I had all three diseases. I don't remember measles being particularly bad but I'm aware of people in my generation experiencing complications from it, some of them severe.
I had measles at home in about 1960. Mum shaded the light with brown paper, but I still ended up short-sighted (None in the family, so not hereditary) I've been wearing glasses now since I was 7.

I had mumps in the mid 80's which I remember being awful, I was poorly for days and my mum recalls it as the worst illness I ever had. My brother got chicken pox then almost straight after had German measles, all around the same time I had mumps, and again that was awful.

I'm now wondering if I ever had the MMR? I was born in 1980 anyone know if there was a program to catch us up? Just thinking about protecting my son who has only had the first dose as he's only two years old.

Measles can kill or leave disabilities. Vaccinate your child ASAP, it’s much safer than risking their life

I had it in 1970/71but don't remember much except for the spots

OP sorry if this has already been pointed out but if he catches any of those diseases he could end up having more seizures along with any other complications. I’d have a chat to your GP about your fears and ask that he gets the jabs in hospital, I’m sure they will take you seriously.

My sister’s got hearing loss after mumps, and my eldest sibling died when my mum was 24 weeks pregnant and she caught rubella. No measles luckily here but safe to say all of my kids are fully vaccinated.

I had both measles and mumps before I was a year old. Obviously I don't remember it, but I don't think I had them badly as otherwise mum would have mentioned it.

I had rubella at 9/10. Not really ill as such but had a couple of weeks off school.

My daughter was born in 1979 and there was no vaccine

yes there was. They were single vaccines, but they were available to all. The uptake was low though.

I had measles before the single vaccination was available in our area so it would have been around 1968/9, It was going around my oldest siblings school and most of the kids were off sick with it as he was, my older sibling came down with it 3 weeks later and I caught it from him, within 24 hours I was unconscious and according to the GP I was too sick to be transferred to the local infectious diseases hospital, he came to our house every day for more than 2 weeks to check on me before telling my mum to prepare for the worst but I finally regained consciousness a few days later (more than 3 weeks after catching the measles). The GP was amazed that I had survived, I couldn't walk because I couldn't remember how to, over the next few days my mum discovered many more things that I could no longer do because I had forgotten how, things like using cutlery, brushing my hair and teeth, doing up buttons, zips, buckles and laces, what food I liked or disliked, I couldn't remember people that I knew, places that I had been to and the only things that I could remember of my life before the measles was a bridesmaid dress that I had worn to a wedding, 2 tricycles that we had as well as a peddle car and the budgies, my mum, my siblings and most of my wider family. From then on I also had problems with my hearing and suffered for years with repeated ear infections, always in the same ear. I suffer with horrific headaches that affects one half of my head, the same side as the hearing problem and infections and I don't think it's coincidental. I caught rubella a few years after the measles and I had mumps at about 11 or 12, neither was bad in severity but it took me a long time to recover fully.

Talk to your GP about your fears but don't rule out the vaccinations yet.

I had it as a child. It was before the vaccinations started. I was very unwell and it must have been bad for me to remember it. I can't remember having chicken pox or mumps although I had both. Cannot understand why people don't get children vaccinated.

"I'm now wondering if I ever had the MMR? I was born in 1980 anyone know if there was a program to catch us up? "

Worth asking - NHS assumes that those born before 1970 will have had the wild disease. Those born since then, and who are unsure of their vaccination history, should be able to have MMR on request