Overview

• A joint open letter from Alder Hey Children’s Hospital, UKHSA and local public health directors reports several children are critically unwell with measles complications
• Health officials say the surge stems from falling MMR uptake, with England’s two-dose coverage near 88%, below the 95% threshold for herd immunity
• Sefton Council’s Living Well Bus will visit multiple borough sites in July to provide free, no-appointment MMR vaccinations for all ages
• Alder Hey consultant Andrew McArdle released a social media video debunking vaccine myths and underscoring the safety and lifelong protection of two MMR doses
• In the United States, 1,277 measles cases have been recorded this year—the highest annual total since elimination in 2000—spurring expanded early-dose and catch-up campaigns