Measles cases are increasing in Merseyside

A Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health report released earlier this month determined uptake of vaccines in the UK has stalled.

Transcript

00:00Cases of measles are increasing in Merseyside, putting children and young people at risk.

00:06A child in Liverpool has died after contracting measles.

00:09The Sunday Times reported the child was ill with measles and other health problems

00:13and was receiving treatment at Alder Hay.

00:16Truthfully, I don't know the answer, but my idea is because over the years,

00:22people are getting, I don't know how to sound old-fashioned, but to get married as kids to tell us,

00:25I don't think we realise the seriousness of that disease, of that poor child in Ireland who's died.

00:33People just will not get their children vaccinated.

00:36They talk to, it's like peer pressure.

00:41Friends, neighbours, that's all.

00:45You know, they take heed from what they're saying rather than what the doctors are saying.

00:49People don't care today. People don't care about nothing for no one.

00:54And it's as simple as that.

00:55Several children are seriously unwell and receiving treatment in hospital.

00:59The Children's Hospital said the number of children being treated at Alder Hay for effects

01:04and complications of measles is increasing.

01:07They've treated 17 since June.

01:10My advice is definitely get your children vaccinated.

01:13You know, you love them, you love the bones of them.

01:16You see them earlier and you start saying, oh my God, why didn't they get them vaccinated?

01:20It's been proven to, you know, to be effective, hasn't it?

01:23You know, it's right. I mean, everybody had it when I was a kid, you know.

01:27Not just measles. A lot of vaccinations is just the same.

01:31The child is believed to be the second to succumb to an acute measles infection in Britain this decade.

01:39Measles is an infection that typically starts with cold-like symptoms,

01:42followed by a rash and sometimes small spots in the mouth can lead to serious problems

01:47such as meningitis, blindness and seizures if it spreads to other parts of the body.

01:52Measles is highly infectious, spreading quickly from person to person.

01:56Young children and babies, pregnant women and individuals with weakened immune systems are especially at risk.

02:03I think the other thing is that people seem to, like, think it's just a kid's disease and so what?

02:08Yeah.

02:09But I don't think they actually realise how serious an illness it is for children.

02:13Well, I don't think that they trust them anymore, to be honest with you.

02:19And, you know, some might, some mightn't.

02:23But, you know, years ago, when I was a child, we got vaccinated.

02:27I heard loads of rumours about, you know, what it could do.

02:31But now I went and had them inoculated.

02:34A Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health report released earlier this month

02:39a determined uptake of vaccines in the UK has stalled over the last decade

02:43and is, in many cases, declining.

02:46None of the routine childhood vaccinations have met the target for 95% coverage since 2021,

02:53meaning youngsters are at risk of catching illnesses such as measles, meningitis and whooping cough.