A Chesham mum whose baby son nearly died of measles has warned about the dangers of failing to vaccinate - as new research warns of a 'timebomb' caused by false information online.

Sophie Dale, 22, spent six days in hospital watching her 11-month-old son Levi fight for his life.

He eventually pulled through but new study has revealed how an increasing number of parents are shunning vaccination after visiting 'anti-vaxx' websites.

Sophie is campaigning for parents to give their children the MMR jab after her son Levi almost died from measles aged just 11 months.

Although initially unsure about vaccinating, she decided to inoculate the tot after carrying out her own research.

However, Levi was struck down by the killer disease a month before he was due to have his first jab.

Single mum Sophie said: "Measles causes an onset of infections. It is life threatening. It is scary and my son could have died.

"Seeing my son in hospital was the most terrifying six days of my life and I want all parents to know what could happen and what to watch out for."

Levi first caught measles in November last year, just before his first birthday. It wasn't until days later that he suffered with complications as a result of the disease.

"Some people think measles is just having a few spots and a fever but one in 15 children will develop very serious complications including encephalitis, convulsions, meningitis, deafness, bronchitis or pneumonia.

"I was baking Levi's birthday cake and preparing for his party when he began to have terrifying convulsions.

"His face was swollen, his body was sore, he didn't eat, he had the highest temperature I've ever seen, he had seizures and he just stared unnervingly into space. It's something no parent ever wants to see.

"He was blue lighted by ambulance to hospital and taken straight to the High Dependency Unit where he was checked and treated for sepsis, encephalitis, pneumonia, meningitis and a whole heap of other things.

"Intensive care was put on standby as my poor little baby had MRI scans, lumbar punctures, EEGs, cannulas, drips, antibiotics by the multitude and was sedated.

"He was hospitalised for six days and they were the scariest six days of my entire life.

"He was prodded and poked left right and centre. I just wanted to scream at the doctors and nurses to leave him alone, but I knew they were saving his life.

"I was heartbroken about how scared and confused my poor baby must be.

"He wouldn't have been able to understand why mummy - his protector - was letting medics stab him and jab him every 30 minutes with needles.

"He would be crying for me when I wasn't allowed in the room for some procedures. He spent his first birthday in hospital attached to machines and I was terrified he would lose his spark and never smile again.

"Health body Public Health England even phoned me at midnight wanting to know where I'd been and who I had seen to stop the disease spreading. It was then I realised how very serious a measles epidemic could be.

"The effects have been ongoing as he has had to learn to walk over again but Levi has now had his MMR and is fully recovered.

"Our experience shows vaccinations shouldn't be feared. They save lives. There are so many posts online about encouraging parents not to vaccinate and claiming is causes autism and cot death. Please learn from Levi and I and please vaccinate your children."

Levi was treated at Stoke Mandeville Hospital and then John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford.

After being diagnosed with measles he then suffered the complications of a febrile seizure, an upper respiratory tract infection and was treated for 'presumed sepsis'.

He was treated with antibiotics, both orally and through drips, before being discharged.

Researchers found that half of parents - including 59 per cent of those under 25 - feel the anti-vaxx movement is becoming more influential.

A significant 83 per cent of young mums and dads with children aged five and under - the age when most vaccines are administered - admit reading anti-jab scare stories, compared to 65 per cent of parents overall.

Currently, just over half of parents carry out their own research before deciding whether to vaccinate their child, the study for UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health and parenting site ChannelMum.com found.

Worryingly, only 41 per cent trust the current range of official information available, with 15 per cent believing information is 'promoted by drug companies'.

And one in five actively search out alarmist vaccine stories as part of their research while one in ten has a 'anti-vaxxer' friend they discuss immunisations with.

The study also showed young parents are more likely to view anti-vaxx sites (33 per cent) than talk to their midwife (30 per cent) about having their child immunised.

Dr Helen Bedford, Professor of Children's Health at UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health said: "While the majority of parents are happy to vaccinate, the rapid rise of anti-vaccination scares on social media is causing many to now question the need for vaccines.

"Due to a long-standing successful vaccination programme, as a nation we have forgotten the terrible toll these diseases can take on children.

"While the anti-vaccination sites may concentrate on perceived side-effects, they don't show the real and often life-changing impact of catching a disease we vaccinate for."

According to Unicef, 500,000 children in the UK are currently unvaccinated against disease including measles.