A mother whose child died aged six from a brain inflammation caused by measles hopes sharing her story will encourage parents to “vaccinate more”.

It comes as the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) warned of measles outbreaks in parts of London.

Gemma Larkman-Jones wants more parents to consider having their children vaccinated sooner.

Prof Dame Jenny Harries, UKHSA chief executive, warned that measles is spreading among unvaccinated communities, and added that a “national call to action” is needed across the country.

Vaccination rates across the UK have been dropping, but there are particular concerns in parts of the capital as well as in some areas of the West Midlands.

  • @[email protected]
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    410 months ago

    The way it’s written implies the kid was placed in some sort of DHS “program” (?) maybe a scheduling thing (?), not that the mother was an anti-vax idiot, although it’s entirely possible she was. Either way the poor kid died of a preventable disease. Terrible.

    • @Rukmer
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      810 months ago

      Usually it means the parents opted for this. Not that anyone deserved this, I’m just clarifying what it likely means.

      • @HessiaNerd
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        610 months ago

        The ‘soft’ antivax stance is getting vaccinated for more than one thing at a time it too hard on young bodies.

        It’s bullshit on the spectrum of antivax.

        https://www.pharmacytimes.com/view/delaying-skipping-and-altering-vaccine-schedules-addressing-selective-vaccination

        It actually has some interesting history as this was the claim of Andrew Wakefield, one of the guys who threw gas on the antivax fire linking MMR to autism (he had a patent on a Measles vaccine, separate from the MMR). https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lancet_MMR_autism_fraud

        • @[email protected]
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          310 months ago

          So it does sound like something she chose because…autism or whatever else these types pull out of their ass. It’s heartbreaking for those kids

          • @HessiaNerd
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            410 months ago

            At least she is facing reality and trying to warn others. It seems to me to be more common to double down and blame any other cockamamie idea rather than accept that she made the wrong choice.

            • @[email protected]
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              210 months ago

              Yes, absolutely. But it’s still total garbage that the revelation comes only after her poor son is effected personally. People need to realise and care their shit takes have devastating real world consequences not only for themselves but others around them.