Eight years ago, measles had been eliminated in the UK. There had been no cases for three years. But last month a child died of the highly-infectious disease and doctors have sounded the alarm about the rising number of cases.

There were 362 measles cases reported in the UK in 2023. This hit almost 3,000 cases in 2024.

Measles is prevented through vaccination but spreads quickly among those who are not protected. Rates of childhood vaccinations have been declining for the last decade, and new figures from the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF show that this trend has continued.

One in 10 children missed out on the first dose of the measles vaccine last year, while 15% did not have full coverage. And it is not just measles – other conditions such as whooping cough (pertuss

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