“Measles can kill” Mum’s warning after twin toddlers, baby hospitalised
New Zealand mum Stephanie Peeni is sharing a little of the distressing reality of caring for a child who is battling measles, after three of her children contracted the illness and ended up incredibly unwell and in hospital.
Don’t skip the measles shot!
Stephanie’s twins Carter and Valentina came down with measles first. They had been vaccinated against measles, but the vaccine is not 100 percent effective. That said it’s vital to be immunised because the measles vaccine can reduce the severity of the illness, should it still be contracted.
In Carter and Valentina’s case, Stephanie must be relieved that they’d had their shots because they really suffered with measles symptoms. The notion that those symptoms could have been worse must be really alarming. Stephanie’s warning other parents to recognise the first signs of measles and get medical attention immediately if they spot them.
“Please PLEASE if you feel like you or your babies have the symptoms, seek medical advice ASAP,” Stephanie writes on Instagram.
“The twins had fevers, a cough and a runny nose for 4 days and then on the 5th day their rashes started. At first small pin pricks over their head, neck and torso and then within hours is covered their whole body.”
“Valentina’s eyes started to become swollen and gunky on the 5th day which is also a symptom, carter didn’t get this however! Within hours her eyes were so swollen she couldn’t open them and this continued on for 4 days. The fevers lasted back to back WITH Panadol and Nurofen for 8 days total.”
“THERE IS NO CURE FOR MEASLES. You just have to pray your babies are strong enough to fight it”
Highly contagious
Once Valentina and Carter were out of the woods and on the mend Stephanie’s seven-month-old baby girl Manaia also came down with measles. Manaia was not vaccinated against measles as the shot is scheduled for babies once they turn one.
“I was still healing from my ordeal with the twins when Manaia fell ill and it’s kind of just been a whirlwind since then,” Stephanie writes on Instagram.
“My heart stopped when she woke from her nap and her lips were blue. I called an ambulance straight away, she was so lethargic,” she told the Mail Online.
“Her symptoms were mostly a fever, cough and runny nose but lasted twice as long as her twins’ symptoms.”
Life-threatening infection
Manaia was very, very ill with measles, to the point of it almost being fatal.
“She refused to breastfeed all week and so I was expressing and force feeding her my milk via a syringe every hour of the day and night,” Stephanie reveals.
“I tried everything I could to avoid a gastric nasal tube. Her fevers continued on until yesterday making it 8 days of fevers in total.”
Even though she’s now on the mend, the scary ordeal has deeply affected Manaia and she won’t let her mum out of her sight.
“She has extreme separation anxiety and needs to be held 24/7 which for Manaia is a huge change from how she was. I sleep with her on me, I eat with her on me, I cook with her on me, I shower with her on me, I even toilet with her on me.”
It’s clearly been an incredibly traumatic experience for this family, and Stephanie’s still finding her feet as all three of her children thankfully recover.
She warns that despite the horrible weeks that she’s endured, her family have been lucky.
“MEASLES IS NO F*CKING JOKE,” Stephanie says. “My babies are perfectly healthy and look at what it did to them. So imagine a child who has a weak immune system, or a heart condition or an adult who is fighting cancer, MEASLES CAN KILL SO DON’T BE IGNORANT, BE EDUCATED, BE VIGILANT.”
If you’re concerned about your child’s health and think they might be showing symptoms, don’t delay getting medical advice. Get on the phone to your GP or local hospital to talk through your child’s symptoms. They can provide assistance and ensure that your child is treated without infecting others in the doctor’s waiting room or ED.
“Just know the symptoms and act swiftly because a child with measles can deteriorate very quickly,’ Stephanie urges.
“Measles is not just a rash and a fever, it attacks your whole body, inside and out and can absolutely be life-threatening.”
Stephanie’s created a guide to measles symptoms for parent and carers. You can find it in her Story Highlights on Instagram.
Please ensure your family is immunised to ensure that they’re either protected from measles or that if they do contract it that their symptoms stand a chance of being non-life-threatening.
How do you catch measles?
Measles is usually spread when someone swallows or inhales the cough or sneeze droplets from an infected person.
The measles virus is carried inside mucus or saliva droplets and remains alive for several hours.
Infection can also occur if someone touches contaminated surfaces or objects and then touches their own mouth or nose.
Source: Better Health Channel
What are the symptoms of measles?
- fever
- feeling generally unwell
- a runny nose
- a dry cough
- sore, swollen and/or red eyes
- red and bluish spots inside the mouth (Koplik’s spots)
- red and blotchy skin rash
