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.
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.”
-
Political cartoons for November 27Cartoons Thursday's political cartoons include giving thanks, speaking American, and more
-
We Did OK, Kid: Anthony Hopkins’ candid memoir is a ‘page-turner’The Week Recommends The 87-year-old recounts his journey from ‘hopeless’ student to Oscar-winning actor
-
The Mushroom Tapes: a compelling deep dive into the trial that gripped AustraliaThe Week Recommends Acclaimed authors team up for a ‘sensitive and insightful’ examination of what led a seemingly ordinary woman to poison four people
-
Brazil’s Bolsonaro behind bars after appeals run outSpeed Read He will serve 27 years in prison
-
Americans traveling abroad face renewed criticism in the Trump eraThe Explainer Some of Trump’s behavior has Americans being questioned
-
Nigeria confused by Trump invasion threatSpeed Read Trump has claimed the country is persecuting Christians
-
Sanae Takaichi: Japan’s Iron Lady set to be the country’s first woman prime ministerIn the Spotlight Takaichi is a member of Japan’s conservative, nationalist Liberal Democratic Party
-
Russia is ‘helping China’ prepare for an invasion of TaiwanIn the Spotlight Russia is reportedly allowing China access to military training
-
Interpol arrests hundreds in Africa-wide sextortion crackdownIN THE SPOTLIGHT A series of stings disrupts major cybercrime operations as law enforcement estimates millions in losses from schemes designed to prey on lonely users
-
China is silently expanding its influence in American citiesUnder the Radar New York City and San Francisco, among others, have reportedly been targeted
-
How China uses 'dark fleets' to circumvent trade sanctionsThe Explainer The fleets are used to smuggle goods like oil and fish
