The Little Man's Had Measles ... I Think

This week hasn't been very fun.

Last Friday the little man started to come down with something. He was lethargic, irritable and had a temperature of 39. We rang 111 who didn't seem overly concerned but suggested a hospital appointment the following day at the Urgent Care department of our local hospital. 

Hubby and I took turns staying up on Friday night, his temperature remained high, he was sick twice and didn't sleep for more than 20 minutes at a time. We had a great time!

On Saturday, about a hour before his hospital appointment he started to develop a rash, which quickly spread. The majority of the rash was on his torso and I could feel slight raised bumps under his skin. Thankfully the rash disappeared under the pressure of a glass.

At the hospital the Doctor told us his temperature was high and that he didn't know what the rash was, but it was probably 'viral'. We were sent away and told to give him Calpol and ride it out unless his temperature rose any further.

Saturday evening and Sunday were spent pretty much the same way as Friday. He didn't worsen or get better and his temperature finally came back down to around normal. He was clingy and whingy.

Then came Monday morning. We woke up to find his entire body and face (even the soles of his feet) were covered in a red angry rash. The pictures below don't really show how bad it actually looked. 

He seemed happy enough in himself, his temperature was normal but we were worried. We rang and got a Doctors appointment within the hour.The Doctor suspected measles and told us there was nothing we could do but ride it out. We were told that Public Health would have to be notified as Measles is a notifiable infection and that they would come out to swab the little man to confirm either way whether he had it. We're now 5 days on. His temperature has remained the same and his rash has faded and is almost gone and still no sign of Public Health! We've rang numerous times and after the second call we were told that rather than them coming out, they'd just send a swab kit out, well that hasn't arrived either!We've had no proper information about whether the little man does actually have measles. We were told nothing at the Doctor's other than 'it can be dangerous'. We still haven't had any contact from Public Health about this alleged swabbing. All the information and advice I've found has been from Google!I'm a bit annoyed, and confused. I thought the little man had, had his MMR vaccinations with his early jabs. It turns out he doesn't actually get it until he's 13 months old, whilst his immunity from me stops at 6 months. I don't understand why there's a gap between the end of the immunity and the jabs being carried out.Do you know much about Measles? I didn't, so here are some things you should know -

• Measles is very infectious. 
• Measles is uncommon in the UK nowadays because of the MMR vaccine. 
• The first symtoms of Measles are often the same as a cold. 
• The rash usually starts around the neck and ears.
• You may have sensitivity to light.
• Measles is spread by spit from your mouth and nose. 
• In rare cases, Measles can lead to Pneumonia or Encephalitis. 

So that's the fun we've had this week! House bound and full of whinges and we THINK the little man has had measles.