'No child should be dying of measles - I'm extremely sorry' says Health Secretary after Alder Hey death

The Health Secretary has said the Government will be “doing a lot more” to improve vaccination uptakes after a child died at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital after contracting measles.

The identity of the child has not been disclosed but it is believed that they were unwell with measles, and had other health issues.

Seventeen children have been treated at Alder Hey for measles since June this year, and the child is believed to be just the second in England to die in the past five years after contracting measles.

Appearing in front of MPs on Monday as the Health and Social Care Committee scrutinised the Government’s 10-year health plan, Wes Streeting said: “Firstly, no child in this country should be dying of measles. And I’m extremely sorry to the poor family that’s now grieving the loss of a child in those circumstances.

“This is why we have got to redouble our efforts on vaccination, and to make the case – and some of the improvements in the 10-year plan will help, in terms of having digital records of children’s health that parents can check into the digital red book – that’ll be really good.

“So it means on moments like, over the weekend, where someone’s read an awful case in the media, parents can just quickly log on and think actually, did we get that jab?

“Are we up to date on our vaccinations? And we can also proactively invite people to vaccination.

“But we’ll be doing a lot more on this throughout the remainder of the year in terms of trying to get vaccination uptakes, it saves lives.”

NHS England figures covering 2023/24 show that not a single vaccine met the target needed to ensure diseases cannot spread among children. The data shows that 91.9% of five-year-olds had received one dose of the MMR vaccine, the lowest level since 2010/11, while just 83.9% had received both doses, the lowest since 2009/10.

Uptake of the first MMR dose at 24 months stood at 88.9% in 2023/24 – again, the lowest since 2009/10. In Liverpool, only 73.4% of children received both doses of their MMR vaccine by their fifth birthday.

Reacting to the news, Cllr David Fothergill, Chairman of the Local Government Association’s Community Wellbeing Board, said: “This is tragic news and our thoughts are very much with the family and friends of the child who sadly died.

“We are concerned about the increasing number of children and young people who are contracting measles. Measles is a highly contagious viral illness which can cause children to be seriously unwell, requiring hospital treatment, and in rare cases, death.

“There is an urgent need to address falling immunisation rates. Nationally, only 84 per cent of children in England receive the first dose of the MMR vaccine by age two, and just 88.8 per cent receive both doses by age five—below the 95 per cent threshold recommended by the World Health Organisation (WHO) to achieve herd immunity.

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“These gaps have contributed to 529 confirmed measles cases in England so far in 2025, with 68 per cent occurring in children under the age of 10.

“We need action alongside awareness and councils stand ready to work in close partnership with the NHS and national government to ensure families have access to clear, trusted information and convenient services to help ensure every child is protected.

“The LGA reaffirms its commitment to the principles outlined in the 10-Year Health Plan and urges the Department of Health and Social Care to work closely with councils to strengthen vaccination uptake and safeguard public health.”