Measles

[tigersaw]

I've just read this comment in the news, since they are getting in a flap about kids getting measles:

Measles, which can be life threatening and cause severe disabilities, is most common among children aged one to four who have not been immunised

Now, my memory as a kid in the early 60's, and confirmed by my parents, is that you had to get measles asap, you were sent round to play with a spotty kid until you caught it. It certainly wasn't life threatening back in them days, just a week off with spots and lucazade.
Has measles become well hard in the last 40 years, or is it due to modern kids not eating dirt and worms anymore and having rubbish immune systems?

Measles is OK when your a kid, its when you get it in later life its in the life threatening/damaging strain

[Lissa]

Originally Posted by tigersaw

I've just read this comment in the news, since they are getting in a flap about kids getting measles:

Measles, which can be life threatening and cause severe disabilities, is most common among children aged one to four who have not been immunised

Now, my memory as a kid in the early 60's, and confirmed by my parents, is that you had to get measles asap, you were sent round to play with a spotty kid until you caught it. It certainly wasn't life threatening back in them days, just a week off with spots and lucazade.
Has measles become well hard in the last 40 years, or is it due to modern kids not eating dirt and worms anymore and having rubbish immune systems?

I had measels very badly when I was 8..................damn near blinded me, and affected my inner ears very badly. I've had to wear glasses ever since, and can't wear earplugs. That was the more evil 'measels' though, not German measels which is a much milder form of the disease, but still unpleasant.

[dizzyblonde]

Yes we still send our kids round to play with a spotty kid!! Measles is bad very bad...to those kids who don't get immunised. Most people think it isn't bad because most kids are immunised and the attacks aren't life threatening....I think parents that don't get their children immunisd play a very dangerous game with there childs life.

[Richie]

Originally Posted by dizzyblonde

I think parents that don't get their children immunisd play a very dangerous game with there childs life.

I concur

[Lissa]

I didn't have my daughter immunised against whooping cough, as at the time there were suggestions that it could cause problems if there was a possibility of the child inheriting epilepsy. As Rebecca's Dad was epileptic, I didn't take the risk.

She got whooping cough. I then understood why the Chinese called it the 100day cough. I think I slept even less than she did until she got over it. I didn't even think twice when it came time for her to have the MMR.............I wasn't putting her through anything again that could be prevented.

As brilliant as modern day medicine is, it can be quite confusing for parents. It seems for every research carried out, there's always another that contradicts it. Parents nowadays have access to a lot of information in helping them to make decisions, unlike in the past, where they 'did as they were told'.

Too much information can be confusing and misleading and parents are making what they hope are good decisions for their children, when infact sometimes, its the exact opposite.

Personally, I think if there's a vaccine, get it.

Measles can be extremely unpleasant.

Despite being immunised against them, my eldest son got measles 12 years ago when he was 9. The doctors made quite a fuss about it, and fetched some of their colleagues in to have look, cos you rarely see it nowadays cos of the immunisations.

You not thinking of chicken pox? Measles is pretty nasty!

Originally Posted by Lissa

I had measels very badly when I was 8..................damn near blinded me, and affected my inner ears very badly. I've had to wear glasses ever since, and can't wear earplugs. That was the more evil 'measels' though, not German measels which is a much milder form of the disease, but still unpleasant.

i was also really ill with measles when i was 4 - had hallucinations and everything, and hey i know some people pay good money for that but it wasn't nice at the time! may also have had something to do with my eyesight, but they never managed to establish for sure

oh and Tigersaw - i did eat lots of mud so i say take the vaccine, the mud doesn't work