Your immunisation experiences

Matt and Emma Scott

"People find it hard to believe that our daughter died of whooping cough"

Jeannie Scott was born fit and healthy at her Brighton home in July of last year.  She died in Great Ormond Street Hospital just nine weeks later after contracting whooping cough.

Jeannie’s tiny body was overwhelmed by an infection often perceived as a Victorian illness that no longer poses a threat.  Tragically, her parents Matt and Emma know that is not the case but, says Matt,

“when we tell people that our daughter died of whooping cough, they find it hard to believe.”

Now Matt and Emma are encouraging parents to have their children vaccinated against all preventable diseases.

• “The first vaccination against whooping cough is given at two months old so Jeannie was too young to be vaccinated before she became ill,” says Matt

• “but if every child who could be vaccinated was, it would reduce the chances of babies like Jeannie coming into contact with infections.”

He understands that some parents do not want to have their children vaccinated but says:

• “If you are strongly against immunisation, that is your choice; but people should realise that it can have a knock-on effect on every child who comes into contact with yours…. we all live together in a big community and it’s about a bigger responsibility.”

Admission to hospital

Jeannie was determined to make her mark on the world from the moment she arrived in it - Emma’s labour was so swift, Jeannie was delivered at home in Kingsley Road, Preston Park by an ambulance paramedic. Five weeks later, she appeared to have a cold which gradually became worse and she was admitted to the Royal Alexandra Children’s Hospital in Brighton.

As her condition deteriorated, and whooping cough was confirmed, she was taken to St Thomas’s Hospital in London for two complete body blood transfusions.  Still getting worse, she was rushed by ambulance across the city to Great Ormond Street Hospital.  There she was attached to an ECMO machine which takes over the work of the heart and lungs, giving the body a chance to recover. 

After three weeks she began to bleed internally and this, combined with the damage the whooping cough virus had done to Jeannie’s lungs, led her parents to make the agonising decision to take her off the machine.  “We knew it was over.  She had tried hard enough and we didn’t want to put her through any more,” says Emma.  Jeannie died shortly afterwards in her parents’ arms.

Graphic designer Matt and Emma, who works for the World Wildlife Fund, have another daughter, Holly (3), who is up to date with all of her childhood immunisations, and they were planning to have Jeannie immunised too.

• “Immunisation exists for a reason,” says Matt. “When you look at how many children died from whooping cough in the 1950s, the number of deaths plummeted after immunisation against it was brought in.”

The couple are trying to come to terms with Jeannie’s death but, says Emma, “it’s particularly hard knowing you lost your child to a disease that is preventable.”  Matt adds: “Even though Jeannie was here for just nine weeks, she had a massive impact.  There’s a piece of us missing that won’t ever be filled - we just miss her.”

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Carol Henderson

"I wanted to make sure that my children were protected"

Mum of two Carol Henderson knows more than most about the benefits of immunisation.  Her work as a cabin service supervisor for Virgin Atlantic means she’s at risk of diseases such as yellow fever while working in exotic locations – but immunisation has helped to keep her safe.

•  “I’m vaccinated against just about everything because of my job,” says Carol from Ovingdean, “and I wanted to make sure that my children were also protected from the preventable diseases they might come across in this country.”

Her son Leo (2) and daughter Kyla (14 months) are up to date with all of their vaccinations, including the MMR immunisation which some parents have had concerns about. 

• “We have two doctors in the family so I asked for their advice about MMR,” Carol explains. “They said it was fine and they had had their own children vaccinated, so we went ahead. 

Neither Leo nor Kyla had any side effects and it’s good to know, if there are local measles and mumps outbreaks, that my children are protected from becoming ill.”

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