Teenager ‘dies of mumps’ on family holiday
Fears over unvaccinated carrier
A GIRL has died on holiday after developing complications from suspected mumps, say her family.
Molly Bower, 17, was on a weeklong trip with her aunt and uncle to Alcudia, Majorca, when she began showing symptoms – despite having been given her childhood immunisations.
With fewer youngsters overall having MMR jabs to protect against measles, mumps and rubella, there are fears she could have picked up the virus from an unvaccinated carrier.
Molly first complained her face felt swollen shortly after they landed on October 7.
She told family she thought she had an abscess, but when they looked up her symptoms online they became worried she had mumps.
They followed advice and gave her ibuprofen, but Molly’s condition deteriorated. She began to vomit and became delirious.
She was seen by a doctor on Friday at Club Mac Alcudia, where the family were staying. The doctor also believed she had mumps and prescribed paracetamol and ibuprofen, but she died less than 24 hours later.
A post-mortem examination on Molly, from Sherburn Hill, County Durham, is expected to take place.
Her devastated family last night said she had been immunised as a child. A single dose of the MMR vaccine provides 78 per cent immunity against mumps, while two doses provides 88 per cent immunity. It does not mean there is no risk of contracting mumps at all. High uptake rates of vaccinations are crucial in creating ‘herd immunity’ – indirect protection from disease that occurs when a large percentage of a population is immune.
However, complacency among parents and some
‘Became delirious’
doctors – along with unfounded fears over the MMR jab fomented by misinformation on the internet – have hit immunisation rates.
Molly was treated for tonsillitis two weeks before the holiday, her family said, which could have compromised her immune system.
Symptoms of mumps usually disappear after around a week. However, it can damage fertility in boys and can trigger meningitis.
Molly’s body is yet to be repatriated. A fundraising site, set up to help the family with funeral costs, has attracted more than £9,000.
Molly’s devastated mother Danielle Bower paid tribute to her last night, saying: ‘Molly had such a dry sense of humour and was a really strong girl. She was an honest and loyal person. She loved to go out and socialise. She was really bubbly.’