Parents who choose not to vaccinate their children risk them dying from measles, Luke O’Neill has warned. 

All over the globe, the number of cases has surged; in Ireland, the HSE has issued several warnings for suspected cases this year. 

On Newstalk Daily, Luke O’Neill this is a phenomenon that parents should take extremely seriously. 

“It’s amazing to think that measles is now spreading again - given that there’s a great vaccine,” the Trinity professor explained.  

“It’s at a 25 year high in countries like France and Spain, which is remarkable as a number. 

“It’s a very dangerous disease; before the vaccines were invented, this was a devastating illness.

“Kids would go deaf, they would go blind, they would have convulsions, massive high temperatures.” 

A measles patient. Picture by: Alamy.com

Professor O’Neill added that while many kids suffer only a “mild” illness when they catch measles, for others it is far more serious. 

“A certain percent of kids will go into this more severe situation and some will die,” he said.  

“Before the vaccinations began, one in 500 would die in some countries; that’s a lot of children dying of a preventable disease. 

“If you don’t die, there’s a high rate of deafness and blindness. 

“I’m young enough to remember, you would see deaf kids - that was often caused because of measles.” 

MMR Vaccine

Professor O’Neill described the MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) vaccine as “fantastically effective”. 

The vaccine is delivered in two doses; the first when a child turns one, followed by the second when at the age of four or five. 

“99% protection if you’re vaccinated with the MMR vaccine,” Professor O’Neill said. 

“It needs two does but it’s wonderfully effective.” 

Despite the overwhelming evidence, Professor O'Neill said many parents are not getting their children vaccinated.

“It’s a bit of a paradox to me, given you would have thought we’d love vaccines after the pandemic,” he said. 

“Vaccine scepticism is growing; parents worry about vaccinating their kids - it’s gone back to the way it was about 50 years ago when there was concerns about these kinds of things. 

“Clearly, it doesn’t help that certain people like RFK jr, for instance, would be questioning vaccines. 

“The second one, I think, is human nature; some parents go, ‘I’m sick hearing about infections and, ‘To hell with this.’

“Remember, it is an unusual thing taking a vaccine because you’re injecting yourself with a bit of a germ and you don’t have the disease. 

“So, that’s why people have often been anxious.” 

Professor O’Neill said there is a reason why every health service in the world advises parents to vaccinate their children with the MMR. 

“The question I always ask parents is, ‘Do you want your child to get measles and end up in hospital with convulsions with awful problems? Maybe dying? That’ll be your choice if you don’t vaccinate your child’,” he said.

Main image: Luke O'Neill and a baby getting vaccinated. Pictures by: Newstalk and Alamy.com.