'My unvaccinated baby nearly died after catching measles' - mum's urgent call to parents

Sophie Dale with her son Levi
-Credit: (Image: Dale family / SWNS)


A mum whose baby boy almost died after catching measles has made a plea to others not to take a chance with their child. Sophie Dale was concerned about getting son Levi vaccinated after seeing posts on TikTok and Facebook which wrongly linked the vaccination to debunked autism risks.

But after deciding to go ahead and give him the vital jab the then 11-month-old was days away from his appointment when he fell ill with measles. He appeared to have recovered but then things took a turn for the worse leaving him fighting for his life in hospital after suffering several seizures and developing a severe case of sepsis.

Levi pulled through and is now a "thriving" six-year-old. But Sophie is urging parents to get their children vaccinated to keep their children safe.

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The 28-year-old, who now also has a one-year-old daughter, Winnie, told how her son's health plummeted the the day before his first birthday party in November 2018. Sophie was out buying ingredients for his cake when she got a call to say he had taken a turn.

She said: "I rushed home and his temperature was crazy. When we arrived at the hospital a team of what looked like 20 people took him away.

"It was so scary - I remember thinking 'this is what you see on 24 Hours in A&E'. I couldn't watch but I could hear his screams."

Levi Dale was 11 months when he contracted measles one month before he was due to be vaccinated
Levi Dale was 11 months when he contracted measles one month before he was due to be vaccinated -Credit:Dale family / SWNS

After six days in Stoke Mandeville Hospital in Aylesbury he was allowed to go home, but had a year of follow-up checks to test for hearing or vision damage. Sophie said: "I didn't realise how serious it was at the time.

"But I was told the measles had basically destroyed his immune system, and he developed sepsis while fighting it. By the grace of God he is now a-ok but sometimes I look back at the hospital pictures and I can't believe it."

New data from NHS England for 2023/2024 show not a single childhood vaccine met the threshold for herd immunity. The number of children fully vaccinated for MMR by age five - and 13 other childhood vaccines - has fallen to one in six, supporting previous findings from The World Health Organisation (WHO).

Now Sophie is urging other parents to make sure they get their child protected even if they have seen the videos questioning the vaccination. She said: "Even if you're doubtful to go and speak to professionals. Go to doctors and nurses and say 'I'm scared because I've seen this and could you give me more information'.

"I wouldn't have been able to forgive myself if I kept umming and ahhing because of false information. I admit that I was a bit nervous when I was deciding to vaccinate Levi."

The stay-at-home mum, from Chesham, Bucks, added: "Even after what happened to Levi, with my second child, I was still nervous to get her vaccinations done because of the scaremongering. I sent her with her dad because it was still nerve-wracking. But I knew I had to do it. I get the fear around vaccinations but this is what happened to my son."

Levi is now thriving
Levi is now thriving -Credit:Dale family / SWNS

Sophie now advocates for the vaccine and has made her own TikTok's herself to help educate others. Her fears didn't delay the date Levi was due to have the vaccine, and he just coincidently caught the disease before his scheduled jab appointment.

Alongside Sophie, the UK Health and Security Agency (UKHSA) is now calling on parents to get their children vaccinated following recent NHS data. Released on September 17, the number of children being administered the 14 childhood vaccines - including the MMR vaccine - has fallen.

All childhood vaccines have failed to meet the numbers needed to ensure the disease does not spread. Measles cases have also soared this year affecting 2,465 people, mainly, children with one death being recorded.

Research in 1998 wrongly suggested the MMR jab could cause autism. The work was dismissed and the researcher was struck off by the General Medical Council in 2010. However the concerns are still often appearing on social media.

Sophie said: "It's shocking that social media still has that impact of spreading misinformation - especially TikTok. I think people, like myself, are easily influenced and it's so easy to be scaremongered.

"I still find it nerve-wracking as I'm about to have another baby due this October. But looking at the people around me, all the children, nieces, nephews, neighbours who probably all have the vaccine. Has something ever happened to them? Probably not.

"So looking at my immediate circle and friends and family helped calmed my mind a lot." Sophie is expecting her third child this October, and has said "she will be getting all her vaccines".