A CHILD has sadly died after getting measles – as experts warn of declining vaccine rates in the UK.
The youngster is understood to have been ill with measles, had other health problems and was in the intensive care unit at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in Liverpool.
The jab provides 97 per cent protection against getting ill[/caption]
They are the second child to succumb to an acute measles infection in Britain this decade.
Their age and sex are not known.
Around 16 other children have been treated at the hospital – which is in the grip of an outbreak of the disease – after becoming severely unwell with measles.
Infections are increasing in Britain as plummeting vaccine rates leave children vulnerable – with London seeing 233 cases in the first six months of this year, the highest in the country.
The jab provides 97 per cent protection against getting ill.
It is unclear if the child who died had received a vaccine.
The MMR vaccine rate in Liverpool for children by the age of five is 73 per cent, the lowest outside of London.
It is also lower than an 86 per cent average across the northwest and 84 per cent across the the whole of England.
A major outbreak in Birmingham and London contributed to 2,911 measles cases in England last year.
The main symptoms of measles
MEASLES is highly contagious and can cause serious problems in some people.
The infection usually starts with cold-like symptoms, followed by a rash a few days later. Some people may also get small spots in their mouth.
The first signs include:
- A high temperature
- A runny or blocked nose
- Sneezing
- A cough
- Red, sore, watery eyes
Small white spots may then appear inside the cheeks and on the back of the lips a few days later.
A rash tends to come next. This usually starts on the face and behind the ears before spreading to the rest of the body.
The spots are sometimes raised and join together to form blotchy patches. They are not normally itchy.
The rash looks brown or red or white skin. It may be harder to see on darker skin.
Complications are rare, but measles can lead to pneumonia, meningitis, blindness, seizures, and sometimes death.
Source: NHS
This is the highest number since 2012.
There have been 529 confirmed cases in 2025 so far, and the majority were children under ten.
In the past few months, several seriously ill children have been admitted to St Mary’s hospital in Paddington, and one had to be treated in intensive care.
Professor Matt Ashton, director of public health for Liverpool, said: “I’m extremely worried that the potential is there for measles to really grab hold in our community.
“My concern is the unprotected population and it spreading like wildfire.
“That’s why we’re trying to be proactive. It’s really important that people understand the seriousness of this.”
Alder Hey, the local NHS and public health teams in Liverpool and Merseyside, are co-ordinating a response to the increase in cases, trying to alert families to the risks and help parents get their children vaccinated.
Measles is highly contagious, and a person remains infectious for up to ten days and can spread the virus to 15 people.
Infections are increasing as low vaccine rates leave kids vulnerable. Stock image[/caption]
