A child has died at Liverpool's Alder Hey Children's Hospital after contracting measles, the BBC understands.

The hospital said the highly contagious virus was on the rise among young people in the region and it had seen a surge in "seriously unwell" children being admitted.

Alder Hey said it would not officially comment on individual cases to respect patient confidentiality but the death has been confirmed to the BBC.

No official details have been released about whether the child was being treated for other health problems or their vaccination status.

The Sunday Times has reported the child was ill with measles and other health issues.

Seventeen children have been treated at Alder Hey for measles since June.

The child, whose age and sex is unknown, is believed to be the second child in England to die in the past five years after contracting measles.

Renae Archer, of Salford, Greater Manchester, died aged 10 in 2023 after complications from having measles as a baby.

Her mother Rebecca, who has four other children, has been campaigning for parents to have their children vaccinated.

Source: BBC