Mom of girl who died from measles urges parents to get kids vaccinated

By Izzy Hawksworth

The mother of a girl who died of complications from having measles as a baby has urged parents to get their children vaccinated.

Rebecca Archer's daughter Renae, 10, died in 2023 after it was discovered she had a very rare brain disease called subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE).

The condition is a progressive neurological disorder that affects the central nervous system and can be caused by catching measles.

Renae caught measles when she was five months old - but she was too young to have the jab then.

The UK was stripped of its measles-free status by the World Health Organization following a surge in cases, including the death of a child, in England in 2024.

Rebecca urged parents to give their children their vaccinations, as she believes that if more kids had the jab, then Renae wouldn't have got measles as a baby.

She said: "Renae hadn’t had the MMR because she was under 12 months old.

"If there hadn’t been an outbreak and more kids had their vaccinations, then she wouldn’t have got the measles in the first place.

"And it wouldn’t have ultimately ended her life."

Rebecca added: "It’s like a nightmare, it’s still hard to believe that’s why Renae’s not here anymore.

"Because of having the measles 10 years previously.

"She was poorly for a few days.

"After that, everything went back to normal - she was fit and healthy."

The UK was first declared measles-free in 2017, but lost the status two years later, before regaining it after spread of the virus was almost halted completely in 2021.

Outbreaks in late 2023 meant measles started spreading more quickly again, leading to the surge in cases in 2024.

Vaccination uptake at the end of 2024 was 92% for the first dose and just below 85% for the second dose.

A decade after having measles, Renae started having seizures at school - which is when she was diagnosed with SSPE.

The youngster slowly lost the ability to speak or eat and Rebecca was told in September last year that they needed to turn her life support machine off.

Rebecca, of Salford, Greater Manchester, said: "She had one every week, and then I think it was the third seizure where they did an MRI.

"Then that’s when they discovered there was some swelling on her brain.

"Her motor functions started to deteriorate – she just slowly couldn’t speak or eat.

"When she went into ICU, they didn’t know what was actually causing it.

"It was actually the measles and it was SSPE.

"And that’s when they told me it was going to be fatal.

"And then we had to make a decision to turn the machines off."

Dr. Manisha Kumar, the chief medical officer for NHS Greater Manchester, hopes Rebecca's story will 'encourage' people to check their child's vaccination status.

She said: "Rebecca’s story is one example of many, that illustrate why we need to urgently reverse the decline in the uptake of childhood vaccinations, in order to protect not only ourselves and our families, but our wider communities.

"We hope that through brave people like Rebecca coming forward with their personal stories.

"Combined with the multi-media campaign, it will serve as a reminder that these diseases have not gone away.

"It will encourage parents and guardians to check their children’s vaccination status and book appointments if any immunizations have been missed.

"Two doses of the MMR vaccine are needed to get lifelong protection against measles, mumps and rubella.

"Simply by ensuring you have both doses you not only protect you and your family against the illness, but also those who you come into contact with who may be vulnerable."