Measles victim urges vaccination
Christine Pearson wants all children to be vaccinated to prevent them going through the adversity she has faced.
Pearson was born deaf and was fitted with her first hearing aid when she was diagnosed at age 2.
Her mother was three months pregnant with her when she contracted rubella (German measles) after coming into contact with a friend’s infected child.
‘‘This was 1965 and the education was not as widely available as it today,’’ Pearson said.
Pearson said her mother broke out in a rash within a day of coming into contact with the infection. She then discovered it was rubella and was faced with the reality of what that could mean for her unborn child.
‘‘I was immediately tested when I was born for brain damage, eyes and ears and heart function.
‘‘At the time they discovered the hole in my heart right away but because technology back then wasn’t what it is today it was another two years before they discovered I was deaf.’’
Canterbury medical officer of health Ramon Pink said rubella was different to the current outbreak of measles that has infected three people in Rangiora and one in Christchurch.
Rubella was known to have significant consequences
for an unborn child if the mother contracted it while pregnant, he said.
Measles was not considered a high risk to a foetus, but could have severe consequences for anyone infected with it.
Pink said both conditions were preventable with the MMR vaccination, which has been available in New Zealand since 1992. ‘‘It’s a triple vaccine – measles, mumps and rubella – and it’s readily available in New Zealand.’’
Huge investment had been made to ensure the vaccine remained free and accessible to all New Zealanders, he said. ‘‘The bottom line is that everyone should be immunised – not only for their own protection but for the benefit of everyone in the community.’’
Pearson urged people to get vaccinated. ‘‘The consequences of not doing it could affect you, your family or someone else’s for the rest of their lives.’’