Two children have died from measles this year as cases reported across England
Two children have died this year from measles amidst ongoing outbreaks, health officials have confirmed.
One death was from acute measles infection and another due to late effects of measles, but no other details have been released.
It follows the death of a child in Liverpool last year just days after health officials in the city warned of high numbers of children seriously ill in hospital with the infection.
In the first six months of this year, there have been 736 laboratory-confirmed cases of measles, the latest figures show, compared with 956 in the whole of 2025.
More than a hundred cases have been confirmed in the past fortnight alone, the update notes.
Around 60% of measles diagnoses have been in children under the age of 10 years with more than half of all cases in London, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said.
But despite hotspots of outbreaks, including in the West Midlands and the East of England, all 85 upper tier local authority areas have reported at least one confirmed case this year, UKHSA added.
May saw the highest number of confirmed measles reports this year with 182 cases, the update shows.
In the most recent weeks, reporting lags mean the figures are an underestimate of the true number of cases.
Hertfordshire and Worcestershire have also reported high numbers of cases in recent weeks.
Dr Vanessa Saliba, consultant epidemiologist at UKHSA said: “Our thoughts and condolences are with the families who have so tragically lost their children.
“Measles continues to circulate in many parts of the country and as we have seen it can be very serious and even fatal.”
She added that anyone who has missed out on their measles vaccines can catch-up through their GP practice whatever their age.
“Getting vaccinated also helps protect babies who are too young to be vaccinated and people unable to have the vaccine due to a health condition.
“Please don’t delay and if you or your child are not up to date, book an appointment today.”
Health Secretary James Murray said: “My thoughts are with the families who have suffered such unimaginable loss. These deaths are a heartbreaking reminder that measles is not a harmless childhood illness.
“Measles can lead to serious complications that can be fatal, and the MMR vaccine, which has saved countless lives, remains the best protection we have against this highly infectious disease.”
It is the third year in a row of high levels of measles activity with the highest ever number of annual cases recorded in 2024 where 2,911 diagnoses were confirmed and a public health emergency declared.
The outbreak led to the UK losing its measles elimination status.
Earlier this year, the Government launched a campaign urging parents to also ‘raise awareness in their communities’, as at least seven schools in Enfield and Haringey, in north London, have reported measles outbreaks.
Last year a report from the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health warned that ‘stubborn barriers’ to accessing childhood vaccinations, including around booking a GP appointment, were contributing to the ‘worrying decline’ in uptake.
In January, the Parliamentary health and social care committee concluded that the Government’s current vaccination strategy is ‘a failure’ and should be replaced with a new plan focusing on vaccination uptake in early years.
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