TODDLER Tyrone Ng almost lost his life earlier this month after catching chicken pox from his sister and father.

The 15-month-old had a fever of 39.2 deg C, and an ambulance had to be called after he turned blue.

His mother, property agent Gillian Teo, 32, said he was set to get his vaccination for the disease but came down with the symptoms before the scheduled appointment.

Ms Teo added she had wanted to have her daughter Keisha, three, vaccinated too, but 'for one reason or another' was unable to do so in time.

Keisha and her father came down with chicken pox - the father had a more severe form - and both had to spend about two weeks at home.

They passed the disease to Tyrone and 'he was hospitalised for four days', Ms Teo said.

She recalled how having three in her family down with the disease took a toll on her - and how frightened she was when Tyrone turned blue and had to be rushed to KK Women's and Children's Hospital on Oct 7.

He is now recovering at home.

'Luckily, Keisha had only a mild infection. If she too had a severe infection and had to be hospitalised, I would have to deal not only with a bigger hospital bill, but also worrying whether my sick children would recover without any serious complications,' she said.

Not wanting other parents to go through what she did, Ms Teo said they should learn from her mistakes and not delay any vaccination for their children.

Fortunately, both Ms Teo and her eldest son, Tristan, five, were not infected.

Tristan was later successfully vaccinated against chicken pox.

This article was first published in The Straits Times.