Alder Hey measles death: Liverpool's top health boss very worried spread of disease could spark health crisis

It was confirmed last weekend an unidentified child died at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital, marking the second death due to an acute measles infection in Britain this decade.

Merseyside is experiencing a spike in children suffering with measles, with Alder Hey reporting at least 17 patients with the infection in the hospital in recent weeks. In Liverpool, the take-up of the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine is low, with around 74% of children having both doses.

Speaking during a Liverpool Council cabinet meeting, Cllr Liam Robinson, leader of the local authority, extended his sympathies to the family of the child and said the city could do its utmost to improve vaccination rates. Matthew Ashton, Liverpool’s director of public health, said this week he is very concerned about the spread of measles in the city and believes in some areas, vaccination rates will be even lower – which could lead to a public health crisis.

The identity of the child who died at Alder Hey has not been disclosed, but it is known that they were suffering from measles and are believed to have had other health complications. Measles is highly infectious, with individuals remaining contagious for up to ten days.

Last week, a senior doctor at the Liverpool-based children’s hospital took to social media to address some of the misinformation around vaccines to protect youngsters from the illness. Andrew McArdle, Alder Hey consultant in paediatric infectious diseases and immunology, spoke in a short social media video tackling a series of issues.

Addressing cabinet members on Tuesday, Cllr Robinson said: “I’d like to extend our deepest sympathies and heartfelt condolences. We are working on how we make sure we get everyone fully vaccinated and to ensure everyone does get vaccinated.”

It was announced yesterday evening a very young child is ill with the first confirmed case of measles in Wirral. Dave Bradburn, Wirral Council’s director of public health, confirmed the borough had recorded a case of measles and authorities were assessing the risk and any exposure over the last four days.

Wirral’s vaccinations are recorded at around 93% for one dose and below 90% for two doses; this is below what is considered needed for ‘herd immunity’ – meaning the wider population is protected from an outbreak.

Measles 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 symptoms include a runny or blocked nose, a high temperature, a cough, sneezing, and red, sore, watery eyes. A rash usually appears a few days later, starting on the face and behind the ears before spreading to the rest of the body.Spots of the rash are sometimes raised and joined together to form blotchy patches, and they’re not normally itchy. The rash looks brown or red on white skin and may be harder to see on brown or black skin.