Latest news with #RenaeArcher
Sky News
31-07-2025
- Health
- Sky News
Renae died from a rare brain disease after getting measles as a baby. Now, her mother wants more children to get vaccines
The mother of a 10-year-old girl who died from complications of measles has urged parents to have their children vaccinated amid a surge of cases. Renae Archer was too young to have the MMR vaccine when she caught the infection at just five months old. A decade later, she was diagnosed with subacute sclerosing panencephalitis, a very rare brain disease. She died in 2023. Her mother Becky believes Renae might not have caught measles if more people had inoculated their children. The warning comes as rates of vaccine uptake continue to fall. The recent death of a child with measles at Alder Hey Hospital in Liverpool put the focus on a surge of cases in a city with low levels of vaccination. It has left communities with rates of vaccination below the 95% level seen to provide herd immunity, where enough people are protected to prevent the virus spreading. Becky Archer said: "It does make me quite sad and angry because they are potentially putting their children at risk. "We just want people to open their eyes to someone that's actually been through it and not the nonsense that's being spread out on social media or on telly. "I just want people to be knowledgeable of how serious a situation can be." The latest figures on childhood vaccination show that coverage in the UK has been falling in recent years and is now below that target of 95% for all vaccines by age five. The vaccination rate for England is lower than in other UK nations, and particularly low in London. Just 60% in Hackney have had their full measles vaccination course by their fifth birthday, compared to 89.2% on average across Scotland - though the rate in Scotland has also fallen from 93% a decade earlier. Outside of London, the North West now has among the lowest vaccination rates for most of the main childhood vaccines. Liverpool has the lowest measles vaccination rate outside of London, with more than a quarter of children not completing a full MMR vaccination course by their fifth birthday, according to the latest NHS figures for 2023/24. Seventeen cases of measles have been recorded at Alder Hey in recent weeks, and doctors are reassuring parents that the vaccine is safe, free and available. The hospital's chief nurse Nathan Askew said: "Measles is often thought of as just a routine childhood illness but actually it's incredibly contagious. "The problem is that when that's passed on, particularly in schools, nurseries and other environments where children are close together, there's a real problem with children becoming unwell." Low immunisation rates have been blamed on vaccine hesitancy among parents, but experts say a lack of information on the importance and availability of vaccines is also a significant factor. At a catch-up clinic in Liverpool, parents including Natalia Figeuroa have been bringing their children in. She admits she lost track of her son's vaccinations, but worries that parents are being confused. "I think parents are trying to make the right decision but the misinformation that's out there is overclouding their judgement," she said. "My child attends a specialist provision which is a school that carries many children with disabilities, physically and mentally, and it's really hard to see that those kids could be exposed to an illness that is quite preventable with a vaccine. "I'm hoping parents will start to think not only about their own children but those other children who cannot get vaccinations for numerous reasons." Becky Archer was due to give birth the day she was told that Renae's condition was fatal. She died a few days later, and her mother believes she would want her story told. "She was really caring person and she wouldn't have wanted any other family to go through losing their child," she said.
Yahoo
13-07-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Child dies at Alder Hey as measles cases surge
A child has died at Liverpool's Alder Hey Children's Hospital after contracting measles, the BBC understands. The hospital said the highly contagious virus was on the rise among young people in the region and it had seen a surge in "seriously unwell" children being admitted. Alder Hey said it would not officially comment on individual cases to respect patient confidentiality but the death has been confirmed to the BBC. No official details have been released about whether the child was being treated for other health problems or their vaccination status. However, The Sunday Times is reporting the child was ill with measles and other health issues. Seventeen children have been treated at Alder Hey for measles since June. The child, whose age and sex is unknown, is believed to be only the second in the UK in a decade to have died after contracting measles, after Renae Archer, of Salford, Greater Manchester, died aged 10 in 2023. An Alder Hey Children's NHS Foundation Trust spokesperson said: "To respect patient confidentiality, we can't comment on individual cases. "We are concerned about the increasing number of children and young people who are contracting measles. "Measles is a highly contagious viral illness which can cause children to be seriously unwell, requiring hospital treatment, and in rare cases, death.". The hospital warned parents earlier this week that a fall in measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine uptake was behind the spike in measles cases in the region. Chief nurse Nathan Askew said he felt misunderstandings around the vaccine were to blame. "This vaccine's been in use for well over 50 years. It's very safe, tried and tested," he said. Patients at the site include those with compromised immunity due to other health issues "making them more susceptible to infections, including measles, an Alder Hey spokesperson said. Measles highest in 25 years in Europe, WHO says Measles holiday warning as cases rise in Europe Why are measles cases rising and what is the MMR vaccine? Measles infections usually start with cold-like symptoms such as a runny nose and coughing and sneezing, according to the NHS. This is followed within days by a distinctive blotchy rash, which usually starts on the face and spreads to the rest of the body. A joint report by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the UN children's fund, Unicef, recently found that the number of measles cases in Europe has reached its highest level in 25 years. Professor Helen Bedford, head of children's health at the University College of London, said it was "hugely concerning, but not at all surprising, that we are continuing to see outbreaks of measles" after the child's death at Alder Hey. She said there needed to be a "sustained 95% uptake" of two doses of the MMR vaccine to stop outbreaks of the highly infectious disease. Listen to the best of BBC Radio Merseyside on Sounds and follow BBC Merseyside on Facebook, X, and Instagram. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230. Vaccine misunderstanding 'led to measles spike' Measles outbreak as vaccine rates drop Alder Hey Hospital
