Khaberni -Health experts in the UK have issued an urgent warning following the death of a child at Alder Hey Hospital in Liverpool due to measles.
The warning comes amid an increase in infections and a concerning drop in the rate of children receiving the MMR vaccine against measles, mumps, and rubella.
With vaccination rates dropping below 65% in some regions like London, Liverpool, Manchester, and Birmingham, doctors have rung the alarm bell, asserting that measles remains a contagious and dangerous disease that can be fatal, especially in unvaccinated children or those with pre-existing health issues.
Health officials confirmed that ideal coverage to prevent an outbreak requires 95% of children to receive the two full doses of the vaccine, but the current rate is only 85.2% across the UK, one of the lowest levels in the past decade.
Professor Sir Andrew Pollard, director of the Oxford Vaccine Group, said: "We recorded about 3,000 measles cases last year, including one death, and more than 500 confirmed cases since the beginning of this year. With this spread, the occurrence of new deaths was tragic but expected."
Professor Helen Bedford, a child health expert at University College London, described the child's death as "a completely avoidable tragedy," stressing that "there is no need for any child to suffer from measles with the availability of an effective vaccine."
Reports indicate that the deceased child was one of 17 children recently treated at Alder Hey Hospital for severe measles cases, admitted after developing serious complications, including encephalitis and pneumonia.
Professor Ian Jones, a virology expert at the University of Reading, warned that the low vaccination rates mean that the virus "will inevitably find its way to medically vulnerable children, making the infection catastrophic in some cases."
Although measles was a common disease in the past before the vaccine was available, successful vaccination programs led to a decline in cases, and Britain had previously received a "measles elimination certificate" from the World Health Organization. However, the country lost this recognition in 2019 due to falling vaccination rates.
The latest data from the British Health Security Agency shows that less than three-quarters of Liverpool's five-year-olds have received the required two doses of the MMR vaccine, while the rate falls below 65% in some areas of the capital London, while it exceeds 95% in areas like Rutland and Northumberland.
Although measles deaths in developed countries are rare, the disease can lead to serious complications, with one in every five children contracting an infection that requires hospital admission, and one in every 15 developing severe complications such as meningitis or sepsis.
In an attempt to control the situation, health officials in Liverpool have issued an open letter to parents urging them to ensure their children are vaccinated.
Professor Matt Ashton, the city's director of public health, said: "I am extremely concerned that the disease may spread strongly in our community, especially as there are a large number of unvaccinated children. What we are seeing now is a steady increase in cases, and signs that we are approaching a major outbreak unless we act quickly."
