Measles-anyone have any experience of it?

[hellymelly]

My daughters are not vaccinated and there is a measles outbreak here.We have agonised over vaccination and so far we have opted out but measles does frighten me,and reactions vary,my GP is naturally very pro vaccination,the homoeopath I spoke to feels differently,I have been to several lectures about vaccination and I still can't decide.DH is thinking maybe we should give the girls the single vaccine.Does anyone have any experience of measles?How bad can it get? I had it as a child,everyone did,but I don't really remember what it was like.

I've seen that statement - It must be nice for Simon to have friends like Dr W. Dr W. does at least admit that 'extraordinary' things were going on at the Royal Free. For once, how right he is...

actually and at sad attempt at sarcasm.

Well at least I was not pretending not to know whythe GMC was investigating Simon Murch. I'm assuming the Cry Shame site ( which is so admired) covers the Jack Piper case. I find it a very sad and distressing case but all I find here is more sympathy for the doctors.

well cyberseraphim you have been at pains to point out the facts are the most important thing. Muddying Wakefield's reputation by false association doesn't really help matters does it?

Jack Piper's case sound appalling. As do the cases of autistic children who regressed severely after MMR and were then ignored by the system, and whose parents were told 'oh you are just looking for someone to blame, your child was always autistic, you just didn't spot it before.'

Of course these were the children Wakefield was trying to help. More fool him.

I still can't believe that people are still considering not having the MMR. Consulting your homeopath is about as relevant as reading tea leaves! Bunkum bunkum. Not only are you taking a risk with your own children's lives but every other child they come into contact with. Selfish and ignorant in my opinion.

Oh talk about ignorance...

dimwit.

cyber
what a strange assumption. It is almost as if you are looking to use this childs tragedy to score points which I am sure no one would do.

I have huge sympathy for Jack Piper and his family.
I don't see any reason why you should assume I don't.

Unless I should also assume that because you disagree with me you therefore have no sympathy for my son and his regrsssion and bowel problems - and all of his peers?

pagwatch- the anti Wakefield/biomed brigade do this a lot though. Fitzpatrick for example loves to go on and on about the poor child who died in America during chelation. What he fails to mention is that the child didn't die because of chelation, he died because the incorrect drug was given.

It's cheap (and inaccurate).

Best to leave it on a note of agreement then. I had no purpose for mentioning the upsetting case other than to show the other side of the story, that there were vulnerable children involved just not vulnerable doctors being 'witch hunted' for no good reason. I am very sympathetic to any parent of any autistic child and I cannot claim to know the cause of autism any more than anyone else can but so far I have not endangered anyone's life.

well medical accidents and sub standard care occur at hospitals frequently, unfortunately. Quite how that is supposed to shed light on Wakefield's case i don't know.

NayNay - I actually agree with you re homeopathy ("bunkum bunkum"), but I still haven't given MMR to DD.

Yes, of course, I am selfishly concerned primarily with the welfare of my own child. Does anyone really expect anything else?

Slightly off topic but what I can't understand is why the case of poor Jack Piper is not used to stir up a bit of scandal about the doctor in question who actually performed the procedure or more importantly the doctor who didn't perform the procedure because he was off making some cash at a private practice.

Because these are the real issues here.

Not MMR, not Dr Wakefield who wasn't the slightest involved and not even Dr Murch who delegated the procedure to a senior doctor who obviously had an agenda of his own.

What happened to Jack Piper is terrible but to use his story in an attempt to attack Dr Wakefield and his colleges is low down and shabby.

I am not saying that this is what Cyperseaphim has done, I'm saying this is what the British media and others have done.

It is sick, frankly.

I had it as a child. The measles itself was mild, it was the pneumonia that accompanied it that put me in hospital and nearly took my life. No-brainer imho.

Our son was seriously ill after a single measles vaccine. Later his viral titres show he has no immunity at all to measles. He did however get the measles rash after the vaccine and this reappeared quite significantly on a few times during his treatment but we have not seen it since he has recovered.

I had measles when I was 14 and my father, who was then 44 had it at the same time, we were both very ill - like very bad flu - but got better quickly. I would not vaccinate my children, think far too much fuss is made about this.

I had it as a child. Very bad. Vomitted for 2 weeks, terrible fever, terrible itchey spots, hallucinations. Worst disease I can remember having. I too remember being in my bedroom with curtains shut for weeks and dabbing calamine lotion on.

It can kill, definitley should have your kids vaccinated if they have not been done.

We had an NHS leaflet in the paper today - headline was "one in 10 children with measles end up in hospital"
the source they quoted - bbc news - bbc news doesn't quote their source

It's a tough decision for some, but for me not at all. I have had measles twice and german measles as a child. It's painful, uncomfortable and takes a long time to get over it and that's best case scenario. Sitting in your bedroom alone in the dark, not even able to read or watch television as an activity. I came through unscathed. But both my uncle and my grandmother are profoundly deaf as a result of measles.
So when the decision to vaccinate came up for me it was a no brainer. Both of my children are vaccinated. The dr who published in the lancet starting this furore has been widely, massively, hugely and totally discredited. If you have any doubt I would personally vaccinate now. You obviously didn't do it while they were young so they are probably very fit and strong now and unlikely to suffer any of the actual documented side effects. The very fact you are doubting your earlier decision indicates to me that you think you should. Gut feeling...and science, proven science, good combination.

Listen to emma1977 she gives sounds advice.

Kerrymumbles no comparison I'm afraid. As far as I'm aware Chicken Pox is a "reportable disease", but not killer and actually when your child is poorly sick with CP you do wish there was something to prevent it. I was lucky with my DS he had CP and didn't suffer any ill effects particularly but was a bit miserable, luckily didn't scar.
Measles is a whole different ball game. We've just forgotten about it.