Parents describe baby’s ‘scary’ measles symptoms as cases soar
The parents of a five-month-old baby who was left struggling to breathe after contracting measles have described her “scary” ordeal as the number of cases soar.
England is facing a measles emergency with 86 confirmed cases in England over the past week, according to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA).
It brings the total number of measles cases recorded so far this year to almost 900 – a sharp increase from 368 cases in all of 2023.
About two-thirds of those affected are under the age of 10.
Health workers say the current outbreak, which started in the West Midlands last year, has now spread to every region of the country.
London has become the latest hotspot and five-month-old Margot House is among those who have recently contracted the highly-contagious disease.
Her mother Georgia House told Sky News: “It’s really scary because I was holding my little baby, she was struggling to breathe and she looked god-awful.
“She had rashes on her tummy, behind her neck and going up her head.”
Margot’s rash stretched across her stomach, neck and head
Her daughter likely contracted measles earlier in the month when she was admitted to hospital for an allergic reaction, Ms House said.
As Margot is younger than 12 months old, she was not eligible for the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine, and ended up back in hospital, needing help to breathe and eat.
The main symptoms of measles are a high fever, sore and red watery eyes, coughing, sneezing and a rash that usually appears after the initial symptoms.
Georgia House is urging people to check their own vaccination records
Measles vaccinations in the UK were introduced in 1968 and, until recently, the widespread take-up had all but eradicated the disease until recently.
In recent weeks, hundreds of children have contracted the disease and health officials have warned that “many thousands of children around the country are still not fully vaccinated and may be at risk of serious illness or life-long complications”.
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Margot with her father James
Dr Vanessa Saliba, a consultant epidemiologist at the UKHSA, said: “Numbers of measles cases are rising across the country, with a particular increase seen in London in recent weeks.
“Parents should check their child’s Red Book now to ensure that children are up to date with the MMR and other routine vaccines. If you’re unsure, contact your GP practice to check.”
GPs will be able to offer any vaccinations needed to bring them up to date, she added.
Margot will make a full recovery but her parents Georgia and James are urging anyone who may be behind on their vaccinations to get their jabs.
“You can stop this becoming an epidemic and a huge outbreak,” Ms House said. “Allow people who do want to get vaccinated, but don’t have the opportunity, to continue to live their lives without fear of getting an infection that could be life threatening.”
UK drivers are “confused” by the country’s electric car transition, ministers are being warned.
Although most drivers are not hostile towards electric vehicles (EVs), many are confused about what changes are coming and when, according to new research from the AA.
In a survey of more than 14,000 AA members, 7% thought the government was banning the sale of used petrol and diesel cars.
Around a third thought manual EVs exist, despite them all being automatic.
More than one in five said they would never buy an EV.
The government’s plan for increasing the number of electric vehicles being driven in the UK focuses heavily on increasing the supply of the vehicles.
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What you can do to reach net zero
In 2024, at least 22% of new cars and 10% of new vans sold by each manufacturer in the UK had to be zero-emission, which generally means pure electric.
Each year, those percentages will rise, reaching 80% of new cars and 70% of new vans in 2030.
Manufacturers will face fines of £15,000 per vehicle if electric vehicle sales fall short of 28% of total production this year.
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By 2035, all new cars and vans will be required to be fully zero emission, according to the Department for Transport.
Second-hand diesel and petrol cars will still be allowed to be sold after this date, and their fuel will still be available.
There are more EVs – but will people buy them?
In February, 25% of new cars were powered purely by battery and in January, they made up 21% of all new cars registered in the UK.
But despite the growth of electric sales, manufacturers continue to warn that the market will not support the growth required to hit government EV targets, and called for consumer incentives and the extension of tax breaks.
The AA suggested the government’s plan focuses on “supply but does little to encourage demand for EVs”.
It called on ministers to co-ordinate a public awareness campaign alongside the motoring industry which directly targets drivers who doubt the viability of EVs.
“Our message to government is more needs to be done to make EVs accessible for everyone,” said Jakob Pfaudler, AA chief executive.
Which? head of consumer rights Sue Davis said: “When it comes to making sustainable choices such as switching to an electric car, our research shows that people are often held back by high costs, complex choices or uncertainty.
“The government needs to provide the right information on electric vehicles and other sustainable choices so that people have the confidence to switch.”
A Department for Transport spokesperson said: “We’re investing over £2.3bn to help industry and consumers make a supported switch to EVs.
“This includes installing a public charge point every 28 minutes, keeping EV incentives in the company car tax regime to 2030, and extending 100% first-year allowances for zero-emission cars for another year.
“Second-hand EVs are also becoming cheaper than ever, with one in three available under £20,000 and 21 brand new models available for less than £30,000.
“We’re seeing growing consumer confidence as a result.”
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