Measles: anti-vaxxers have blood on their hands, says UK Secretary of Health

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His comments come a few days after a study by UNICEF, the United Nations Children's Agency, revealed that the number of measles deaths had increased by 22% in 2017 , and lack of self-control and fear of vaccines were among the factors that led to a reduction in the number of vaccines.

Speaking on the same day on the Today broadcast of BBC Radio 4, Mr Hancock said that the UK needed to "look at all the options" to make sure that more children are vaccinated, refusing to exclude the possibility of compulsory vaccination.

"If you do not vaccinate your child, it's not just your child who is at risk.These are also other children, including others who, for medical reasons, can not not be vaccinated, "he continued.

"Vaccination is good for you, your child and your neighbor and your community."

Hancock said anti-vaccination activists "campaign against science," adding that "science is settled."

According to the UNICEF report, more than 500,000 children in the United Kingdom have not received the first dose of measles vaccine between 2010 and 2017.

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Only two other high-income countries have exceeded this total: the United States, with more than 2.5 million unvaccinated children, and France, with more than 600,000.

Globally, about 169 million children have not received the first dose of measles vaccine between 2010 and 2017, an average of 21.1 million children per year.

The World Health Organization said measles had been eliminated in the UK for the first time in 2017.

However, Public Health England reported a "sharp increase" in the number of measles cases from January to October 2018, with 913 cases that year, compared with 259 in 2017.

Mary Ramsay, head of immunization for Public Health England, said the outbreak was "an important reminder for parents to accept the offer of MMR vaccination for their children" .

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