Mum whose son, 6, died after catching measles issues urgent warning to parents

Gemma Larkman-Jones, 45, from Brixton, south London, felt numb when her 6-year-old son Samuel developed subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE).

He developed measles in 2014 and recovered but was admitted to hospital in 2019 when he lost his balance.

It was found he had SSPE when admitted to hospital, he then fell into a ‘vegetative’ state after going into a coma as doctors told Gemma his condition was incurable.

She believes his death in 2019 would have been avoidable if he had the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) jab.

Instead he was placed on a delayed vaccination programme.

She said: ‘Samuel didn’t need to die and that’s the guilt I carry every day with me.

‘He was on a delayed programme because he had constant chest infections which later turned out to be asthma.

The news comes as the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) declared a national incident over the rise in measles.

The agency revealed there have been 216 confirmed measles cases and 103 probable cases in the West Midlands since October 1 last year.

Professor Dame Jenny Harries, chief executive of the UKHSA, warned the disease is spreading among unvaccinated communities.

Four-fifths (80%) have been found in Birmingham while 10% were identified in Coventry, with the majority being in children aged under 10.

Gemma said: ‘I don’t want any other parent to go through this.

‘Even if it just makes one parent question, how many lives could that one child being vaccinated save?’

She highlighted the dangerous side effects of measles and debunked preconceptions about the vaccine.

‘People just think it’s a bit of a temperature, but I think they’ve forgotten that people can go blind, people can go deaf, people who seemingly sailed through measles can end up years down the line with SSPE,’ she said.

‘I honestly do believe that people just think that measles, like chickenpox, is part of being a child and it’s so not.

‘I think (my story) will make people think “although it’s a risk, it’s still a risk, am I going to risk my child dying for something that he doesn’t need to?”

‘I think if anyone’s got a chance of getting it people should be made aware of it.’

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