We beat measles once: we must do it again
Researcher
Over the weekend, tragic news broke about a child in Liverpool dying after contracting measles. Sadly, such incidents are becoming increasingly common. The UK has faced repeated outbreaks in recent years, and national case numbers continue to rise. A disease once virtually eliminated is making a comeback.
When modern medicine can so effectively mitigate the risk of contracting and dying from this dangerous disease, why is it on the rise? The answer lies in falling vaccination uptake.
Coverage for the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine has slipped below the 95 per cent threshold needed for herd immunity and continues to decline in many areas. In particular, minority ethnic communities have seen steep declines in vaccination rates and, as a result, suffer from some of the most severe outbreaks and deaths.
While some explanation for falling rates relates to access, a large part is down to behavioural and social factors: vaccine hesitancy, misinformation, mistrust, and a growing sense of complacency.
That’s why the Government’s 10 Year Health Plan, with its focus on neighbourhood and community-level health, could be so important. By embedding health workers directly within communities, the Plan would give them a chance to build trust, counter misinformation, and deliver tailored solutions that meet the real concerns of local populations.
We called for this kind of approach in our paper ‘The Power of Prevention’ last year. Re:State focused on three broad factors involved in people's attitudes to vaccination — confidence, complacency and convenience — which in turn influence uptake.
In that paper, we outlined five specific actions for the Government to take; and we’re pleased to see the Government recently followed through on Action 3. 
Yet clearly, much more remains to be done.
Vaccines, as we learnt during Covid, can only be fully effective when our actions are coordinated with the people around us.
The Government's plans are the right ones - but they will be meaningless if there is no follow-through. The Health Secretary stated, “No child in this country should be dying of measles…We have got to redouble our efforts on vaccination.”
He’s right. No child should lose their life to a disease we can prevent. If we want to avoid more preventable deaths from diseases where strong vaccines exist, Government should act fast.
Having a plan isn't enough; this crisis demands immediate and decisive action.