Child with measles dies at Alder Hey

CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL MAKES VACCINATION PLEA AFTER SECOND DEATH WITH ACUTE INFECTION IN BRITAIN THIS DECADE

- By JOHN BESLEY AND ELLIE NG, PA AND CONAILL CORNER

ALDER Hey Children's Hospital has urged people to ensure they are fully vaccinated after a child tragically died at the hospital after contracting measles.

It marks the second death due to an acute measles infection in Britain this decade.

The identity of the child has not been disclosed, but it is known they were suffering from measles and are believed to have had other health complications.

This comes just days after parents described feeling “scared” as several children in Merseyside were hospitalised due to the spread of the measles virus. Hospital officials said these children were “seriously unwell.”

Measles, an infection that typically starts with cold-like symptoms followed by a rash and sometimes small spots in the mouth, is contagious and can lead to serious problems such as meningitis, blindness and seizures if it spreads to other parts of the body.

A statement from the Alder Hey Children's NHS Foundation Trust said: “To respect patient confidentiality, we can’t comment on individual cases.