Half a million UK children missed measles jab
NHS boss warns of ‘public health time bomb’ thanks to ‘vaccination deniers’

More than half a million children in the UK did not receive their measles vaccination between 2010 and 2017, according to Unicef research.
The UN children’s charity says that globally nearly 170m children under the age of 10, including 2.5m in the US, have missed their vaccination.
Measles is a highly infectious viral illness that can lead to major complications, including infections of the brain and lungs. It is sometimes fatal.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
An estimated 110,000 people died from the disease in 2017, a 22% rise on the previous year, ITV News reports.
Earlier this month, the World Health Organisation announced that measles cases worldwide rose by 300% during the first three months of 2019 compared with the same period last year.
There were 259 cases of the highly infectious illness in England in 2017, rising to 966 in 2018, while similar surges have been seen across Europe, and parts of Asia and Africa.
The Daily Telegraph says the increase is due to the anti-vaccination movement which emerged from “fraudulent” discredited research by “disgraced” British doctor Andrew Wakefield linking the MMR jab to autism.
NHS chief Simon Stevens told the BBC the trend of people rejecting vaccines was a “growing public health time bomb” and that “vaccination deniers” have been gaining traction on social media. He called on social media companies to develop a “zero tolerance” approach to anti-vax posts.
Professor Beate Kampmann, at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, said the Unicef data was a “wake-up call”, while Adam Finn, professor of paediatrics at the University of Bristol, said that vaccinating against childhood infections like measles “should be a no-brainer”.
Henrietta Fore, executive director at Unicef, said: “The measles virus will always find unvaccinated children. If we are serious about averting the spread of this dangerous but preventable disease, we need to vaccinate every child, in rich and poor countries alike.”
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
US, China agree to lower tariffs for 90 days
speed read US tariffs will fall to 30% from 145%, while China will cut its tax on US imports to 10% from 125%
-
Qatar luxury jet gift clouds Trump trip to Mideast
speed read Qatar is said to be presenting Trump with a $400 million plane, which would be among the biggest foreign gifts ever received by the US government
-
Does ketchup belong on a hot dog and more May 12 editorial cartoons
Cartoons Monday's cartoons feature Pope Leo XIV, Newark airport, and Donald Trump's meme coin
-
What happens if tensions between India and Pakistan boil over?
TODAY'S BIG QUESTION As the two nuclear-armed neighbors rattle their sabers in the wake of a terrorist attack on the contested Kashmir region, experts worry that the worst might be yet to come
-
Why Russia removed the Taliban's terrorist designation
The Explainer Russia had designated the Taliban as a terrorist group over 20 years ago
-
Inside the Israel-Turkey geopolitical dance across Syria
THE EXPLAINER As Syria struggles in the wake of the Assad regime's collapse, its neighbors are carefully coordinating to avoid potential military confrontations
-
'Like a sound from hell': Serbia and sonic weapons
The Explainer Half a million people sign petition alleging Serbian police used an illegal 'sound cannon' to disrupt anti-government protests
-
The arrest of the Philippines' former president leaves the country's drug war in disarray
In the Spotlight Rodrigo Duterte was arrested by the ICC earlier this month
-
Ukrainian election: who could replace Zelenskyy?
The Explainer Donald Trump's 'dictator' jibe raises pressure on Ukraine to the polls while the country is under martial law
-
Why Serbian protesters set off smoke bombs in parliament
THE EXPLAINER Ongoing anti-corruption protests erupted into full view this week as Serbian protesters threw the country's legislature into chaos
-
Who is the Hat Man? 'Shadow people' and sleep paralysis
In Depth 'Sleep demons' have plagued our dreams throughout the centuries, but the explanation could be medical