Hove mother begs parents to immunise after baby's measles ordeal (From The Argus)

Hove mother begs parents to immunise after baby's measles ordeal

4:40pm Saturday 7th July 2012 in News By Anna Roberts , Crime reporter

A mother whose eight-month-old baby contracted life-threatening measles has given a harrowing account of the illness – so other parents have their children vaccinated.

At the end of June, Delilah Griggs, who is too young to have received the MMR vaccination, contracted measles and subsequently pneumonia.

She was raced to hospital where her mother Amy Myall described how the youngster “screamed” as drips were fed into her and a tube was inserted into her stomach.

She said: “No parent should have to prepare themselves for the loss of a child when it could so easily have been prevented.”

Miss Myall lives near Blatchington Mill School in Nevill Avenue, Hove, where an average of two chil- dren a day are being diagnosed with measles. Since Easter 54 pupils at the school have developed the illness.

A Health Protection Agency spokeswoman urged parents in the city to have their children vaccinated.

By Wednesday there had been 247 cases of measles reported in Sussex this year, compared to 173 for the whole of last year.

For full story see The Argus this weekend