Child with measles dies at Alder Hey as warning issued to all parents
The Sunday Times reports that the child was being treated for measles and other health conditions at Alder Hey Children's Hospital in Liverpool before their tragic death.
This incident follows a warning from the hospital about an increase in measles cases, with 17 children treated since June. The surge in infections has been linked to a decline in MMR vaccine uptake in the area, with only 73% of Liverpool children having received two doses.
It is believed that this is only the second child to die from the infection in the past five years.
Measles is a fast-spreading infection that can cause serious complications. It typically begins with symptoms similar to a common cold, followed by a rash appearing a few days later, reports Wales Online.
The NHS states that the first symptoms include a high temperature, a runny or blocked nose, sneezing, a cough and red, sore or watery eyes.
A few days later, small white spots may appear inside your cheek and on the back of your lips. These tend to only last a few days.
After suffering from cold-like symptoms you may also develop a rash which tends to start on the face and behind the ears but then spreads to the rest of the body.
The NHS said: "The spots of the measles rash are sometimes raised and join together to form blotchy patches. They're not usually itchy. The rash looks brown or red on white skin. It may be harder to see on brown and black skin."
Measles is spread when an infected person breathes, coughs or sneezes on someone. In serious cases it can also lead to pneumonia, meningitis, blindness, hearing loss and seizures, these complications are more common in babies and those with weakened immune systems.
If you do believe either you or your child is suffering from the infection, it's best to ask for an urgent GP appointment or get help from the NHS on 111.
The best way to avoid measles is by having the MMR vaccine which protects against measles, mumps, and rubella.
The vital vaccine is available for free on the NHS and is offered to all babies and children in the UK. However, adults can also have it if they did not receive it when they were younger.
Parents should be contacted through their GP surgery about their child's MMR vaccines but older children may also be able to get them through school.
Two doses of the vaccine provides lifelong protection against the three infections. It has been used for over 50 years and is very safe.
Before it was introduced in 1968, around 100 children every year died from the disease in England in Wales. In 2024, there were 20 confirmed cases in Wales.
Getting vaccinated does not only help protect you but also those around you, especially those who cannot be vaccinated like unborn babies, newborn babies and those with a weakened immune system.
Prof Helen Bedford, professor of children's health at UCL (University College London), said: 'It is hugely concerning but not at all surprising that we are continuing to see outbreaks of measles, with very sadly news that a child in Merseyside has died from the infection.
'To stop outbreaks of this highly infectious disease we need to have sustained 95% uptake of two doses of the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine, but uptake has been lower than this for some years.
'In England only 84% of five-year-old children have had the two doses and in some parts of the country, including Liverpool and parts of London, uptake is much lower.'
Dr David Elliman, honorary senior associate professor at the same university, said: 'Uptake of MMR vaccine has been falling around the world and in the USA there have been three deaths in the current outbreak.
'Any death of a child, with so many years left to live, is a tragedy, but this is more so as we have a very effective vaccine, with an excellent safety profile and if enough children had had the vaccine, this death would have been avoided.
'Not only does the vaccine protect the person receiving it, but it helps protect those who cannot receive the vaccine because of a medical condition or they are too young.'
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