A measles vaccine on February 27, 2025 in Lubbock, Texas (AFP / Ronaldo Schemidt)
The death of a child from measles has rekindled calls from British health authorities to have the youngest vaccinated, when the United Kingdom faces a wave of disinformation on vaccines, largely from the United States.
Highly contagious disease, measles can cause serious complications. However, it is avoidable thanks to the ROR vaccine (measles, mumps, rubella) administered from early childhood.
The British Minister of Health, Wes Streeting, confirmed on July 14 the death of a child with measles at the Alder Hey hospital in Liverpool, in the northwest of the country.
The authorities have not given any details on the circumstances of the death. However, according to The Sunday Times, the child suffered from a serious form of the disease, associated with other serious health problems.
Shortly after the announcement, several figures of the anti-vaccine movement disseminated unaccompanied affirmations on social networks about the child’s death.
Among them, Ellie Gray, a British influencer presenting herself as an expert in health, followed by more than 200,000 people on Instagram.
“Measles is not this fatal disease. (…) It is not dangerous,” she said in a video.
She accuses the Alder Hey hospital of “manipulating parents” and “pushing” them to opt for vaccination.
Her video was divided by Kate Shemirani, another British influencer, a former nurse who was struck off in the order of this profession.
“There is no evidence that vaccines are safe and effective,” she said wrongly.
Local authorities sound the alarm.
Liverpool’s public health director Matthew Ashton has greatly attacked those who “propagate disinformation”.
In a video addressing the inhabitants of Liverpool, he recalled that “measles is a very dangerous virus” and that vaccination remains the best way to “protect yourself as well as your loved ones”.
The Alder Hey hospital said it has treated 17 children with measles since June.
In a video broadcast online, Dr. Andrew Mcardle, specialist in pediatric infectious diseases, attacks several “legends” around measles, especially that according to which the vaccine triggers autism.
This unfounded statement comes from a study published in 1998 by the British doctor Andrew Wakefield, which has been widely discredited. He was struck off in the order of doctors.
But this study caused a significant drop in vaccination rates internationally.
– Collective immunity –
For Benjamin Kassan-Dabush, anthropologist specializing in health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, the influence of Andrew Wakefield is still felt today.
By interviewing with parents in Manchester and other regions of England, he found that the delays in children’s vaccination explained by several factors, including the difficulty in obtaining appointments but also disinformation.
“We are dealing today with another generation of parents, who are exposed to the inheritance of Wakefield via social networks, and of course through the figure of Kennedy,” he told AFP.
US President Donald Trump appointed Minister of Health Robert Kennedy Jr, despite his support for anti-vaccine conspiracy theories.
In the United States, “disinformation is produced at the highest level of the Trump administration”, accuses Benjamin Kassan-Dabush. “She then circulates through the internet”.
Faced with the wave of disinformation, the British health security agency (UKHSA) has strengthened its communication on social networks in recent weeks, a spokesperson said.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the rate of measles vaccination must reach 95% to ensure collective immunity.
In Liverpool, the coverage rate for both doses is around 74%, according to Matthew Ashton, while the national average is 84%.
WHO has warned that disinformation is a threat after decades of progress in public health.
Europe has recorded the largest number of measles last year for over 25 years. The United States is going through its worst epidemic in more than 30 years.
Canada, which had officially eradicated measles in 1998, has already identified more than 3,500 cases this year.
