A MOTHER whose son nearly died from measles two years ago believes parents should NOT have a choice over the MMR vaccine.

Sandra Maher says it should be made compulsory for parents to have their children vaccinated to protect them from the killer disease.

Her comments come as England faces its largest outbreak of measles in decades.

Mrs Maher says parents do not realise the "full horrors" of measles after her son spent days fighting for his life in an oxygen tent with pneumonia.

She said: "I was very, very lucky that Jamie survived. But I think parents do not fully understand the danger of measles.

"I would never hestitate about having the MMR jab for my children. In fact, I believe that parents should not have a choice. There should be tight government controls to make sure uptakes are high."

Jamie was just three when he caught the disease from his cousins while on holiday in Ireland in June 2000.

His was the first case of measles in Bolton for seven years -- the fourth in England in a decade.

His Dublin cousins had not had the jab -- they were among thousands who boycotted MMR which resulted in more than 1,000 measles cases in Ireland that year.

Ironically, Jamie did have the MMR jab around his first birthday -- giving him 90 per cent protection.

He was due to have his second injection, which would have given him 99 per cent protection, within the next few months.

Jamie has since recovered and lives a happy, normal life.

But Mrs Maher still remembers the traumatic days when her son first became ill. She said: "It was so rare that doctors couldn't diagnose it at first. It had been some years since they had last seen a case.

"MMR is now in the papers and I can't really believe what people are saying against it.

"MMR is a good thing. There is no proof at all that it causes autism. But kids can die from measles."

"Parents who do not have their children immunised are putting others in danger.

"I didn't really know what measles was before Jamie became ill. It was awful. I wouldn't wish that on anybody else's children."

Anti-vaccine campaigners JABS are campaigning for single vaccines. They claim the mumps, measles and rubella vaccination may cause autism. However, the Government's Chief Medical Officer launched a defence of the MMR triple vaccine and insisted offering separate jabs would amount to "playing Russian roulette" with children's lives.

In a concerted bid to quell escalating fears the triple jab is linked to autism and bowel disorders, Professor Sir Liam Donaldson stressed the facts were "overwhelming" in favour of its safety.

Further information on the triple vaccine is available at www.immunisation.org.uk

Advice for anyone who is against the MMR jab is available on www.jabs.org.uk