Measles Infection Causes Severe Skin Reaction and Unplanned Pregnancy
A woman from the West Midlands experienced a life-altering chain of events after contracting measles, which led to a severe skin rash and an unexpected pregnancy. Jayne Walmsley, 37, developed a rash so intense it mimicked chemical burns, forcing her to remove her contraceptive patch due to extreme irritation.
Rapid Onset of Severe Symptoms
Jayne initially noticed a few spots on her face in mid-April 2024, shortly after moving house. Within days, the rash "tripled" in size daily, turning vivid red and spreading aggressively. She described the spots as "very red, raised and itchy," but with no other symptoms, she was baffled by the cause.
"I considered chickenpox, but they didn't seem to be the same shape, and I'd already had chickenpox twice as a child," Jayne recalled. "I thought it must be an allergic reaction to some of the harsher cleaning products I had used when I moved in."
Emergency Hospital Visit and Diagnosis
The condition escalated dramatically, with the rash "exploding" across her skin. Jayne said it looked like she had sustained "chemical burns," with the rash wrapping around her forehead, covering her neck and ears, and causing her lips to swell and crack. The irritation accumulated in a large, square lump under her contraceptive patch.
After calling NHS 111, she was urged to go straight to A&E. "I remember walking into the waiting room and everyone stared at me," she said. "One person literally got up and moved away from me because they didn't want to sit in my vicinity."
At the hospital, Jayne was shocked to learn she had measles, despite having been vaccinated as a child. "Measles in this day and age? I was so shocked that at the age of 35, I had measles," she expressed. "I thought this was only something Victorian kids had to deal with."
Treatment and Contraceptive Complications
Following the diagnosis, Jayne was prescribed calamine lotion and advised to stay home. Medical professionals recommended removing her contraceptive patch temporarily, as it was aggravating her skin. The rash continued to spread over the following week.
"Over the next week, I had more spots than a pack of Dalmatians – I was completely plastered in them," Jayne described. "No amount of moisturizer helped at all; calamine lotion only helped for a matter of seconds. I would sit in a cold bath for hours just to ease the itching."
Unexpected Pregnancy Discovery
Jayne remained indoors for nearly two months to focus on recovery. During this period, she did not reapply her contraceptive patch. In early July, her period failed to arrive, and a pregnancy test revealed she was expecting.
"I couldn't believe it – I did so many tests because it wouldn't sink in," she said. "My fiancé and I had talked about having a child in the future, but it wasn't in our plans for that year."
Given her age and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), Jayne never expected to conceive so quickly. She experienced anxiety about potential effects of measles on the baby, but a private scan at seven weeks showed everything was normal.
Happy Outcome and Public Warning
Jayne welcomed her son, Jude, in March 2025. "He is absolutely perfect and has brought so much joy to our lives," she shared. "I'm so proud of him, and if I had to go through measles to have him, I have no regrets."
Nearly two years after contracting measles, Jayne still has some scarring and blotchy patches on her skin. She is now speaking publicly to warn others about the seriousness of measles.
"What I want people to realise is that this disease is back, it's real, and it's not just children that get it," Jayne emphasized. "I'm actually so glad I was vaccinated as a child. If I wasn't and I caught it, I dread to think what the outcome would have been."
She urges everyone to get vaccinated, stating: "Don't assume that because everyone else is vaccinated, you're covered – we all need to do our part. Measles is back, and it's brutal."
