Tot’s mother warns of ‘wildfire’ measles
An Auckland mum has issued a warning after her daughter was diagnosed with measles – just two weeks after becoming eligible for the vaccine.
Deyna Key, 25, said it was confirmed that her daughter Milan had the infectious disease just a fortnight after her first birthday.
Milan turned one on August 10, but Key said she was not aware the timeframe for young babies to have the first MMR vaccine had been brought forward to 12 months. This week it was changed to babies as young as six months.
Key said Milan woke up last Wednesday with ‘‘really hot cheeks’’, but it was not long before she got a runny nose and a fever.
The day before Milan’s first birthday, a Plunket nurse allegedly told Key to ensure her daughter was due to be given her immunisations when she was 15 months old. Plunket said its nurses had been actively encouraging parents to have the MMR done as soon as a child qualifies.
After learning extended family members – one of whom is a student at Manurewa High School – had measles, Key and her partner contacted their doctor. But with no rash, the doctor put Milan’s
‘‘It is the worst thing to watch your child go through. It’s very, very hard to see her like this ...’’
symptoms down to a virus.
Milan’s measles comes as Auckland, and the country as a whole, is battling the worst measles outbreak it has seen in decades.
There have been 759 cases in Auckland alone, prompting the Ministry to issue new advice that all those planning to travel to Auckland should be immunised at least two weeks before travel.
Babies were the most vulnerable, and the first MMR vaccine had been brought forward from 15 to 12 months in Auckland to try and address this.
South Auckland had been hit particularly hard, and hundreds of unvaccinated Manurewa High School students have been told to stay home.
It was not until Saturday their doctor confirmed Milan had measles, after a rash appeared on her face. Key took Milan home with the advice to keep an eye on her and watch for bruising.
After a weekend where she was ‘‘super lethargic’’ and not eating, Milan was admitted to Middlemore Hospital’s measles ward on Monday.
‘‘It was a really horrible couple of days when she was at her worse.’’
Released on Wednesday and now home, Key shared her story on Facebook, where it has been shared more than 200 times.
Milan is no longer infectious, is ‘‘perking up’’, but is not out of the woods, Key said. It’s up to Milan and regular paracetamol to fight the infectious disease.
She said she had shared Milan’s experience to encourage other parents to immunise their children and check they were vaccinated.
‘‘It’s spreading like wildfire,’’ Key said. ‘‘It’s scary.’’
‘‘It is the worst thing to watch your child go through. It’s very, very hard to see her like this – she’s just been looking at me with her puffy eyes – and I’ve been crying several times a day because I can’t do anything.’’
Sophie Woodger, Plunket’s clinical services manager, said it was taking the measles outbreak ‘‘incredibly seriously’’.
She said Plunket was supporting caregivers with 24/7 advice and support alongside a number of free immunisations, particularly in the Counties Manukau area.