London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Oct 30, 2025

Rise in UK measles cases causing concern

Rise in UK measles cases causing concern

A "very concerning" rise in the number of people catching measles in the UK has been reported by health officials.
The virus spreads incredibly easily and a fall in vaccination rates is leaving more children vulnerable to infection.

There were 54 cases of measles in the whole of last year. However, there have already been 49 in the first four months of 2023.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) is encouraging parents to ensure their children's vaccinations are up to date.

The main symptoms of measles are a fever and a rash. But it can cause more serious complications including meningitis, and an infection can be fatal.

That is why the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine is part of routine childhood immunisations.

Vaccination rates had been falling in the UK before the Covid pandemic.

However, the disruption caused by Covid has dented vaccination programmes around the world, including in the UK, meaning even more children have missed out.

The World Health Organization has already warned of a "perfect storm" for measles, because the fewer people who receive protection from vaccines, the easier it is for outbreaks to happen.

Measles jumps from person to person so readily that 95% of people need to be immunised to block its spread. However, the UKHSA said only 85% of five-year-olds in England have received the recommended two doses.

The increase in UK measles cases is centred on London, but there have been infections elsewhere. Twelve of the cases were caught while abroad, with the rest reflecting spread within the UK.

"It is very concerning to see cases starting to pick up this year," said Dr Vanessa Saliba, from the UKHSA.

She added: "We are calling on all parents and guardians to make sure their children are up to date with their two MMR doses. It's never too late to catch up, and you can get the MMR vaccine for free on the NHS whatever your age."

The UKHSA said it was particularly important to get vaccinated before the summer as measles may be more common in other countries, and festivals are a well-known source of measles outbreaks.

Measles vaccinations were introduced in the UK in 1968. Since then, they are estimated to have prevented 20 million measles cases and 4,500 deaths.

Prof Helen Bedford, from the Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, said there were many reasons the number of people being vaccinated had fallen.

She said: "We haven't seen much measles around for a few years, partly because of the public health measures introduced to prevent Covid - so it may be that people do not see measles as a continuing threat and vaccination has become less important.

"During the pandemic, some children missed out on their routine vaccines for a variety of reasons and need to catch up [and] there may be some vaccine hesitancy."
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
UK and Vietnam Sign Landmark Migration Deal to Fast-Track Returns of Irregular Arrivals
UK Drug-Pricing Overhaul Essential for Life-Sciences Ambition, Says GSK Chief
Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie Temporarily Leave the UK Amid Their Parents’ Royal Fallout
UK Weighs Early End to Oil and Gas Windfall Tax as Reeves Seeks Investment Commitments
UK Retail Inflation Slows as Shop Prices Fall for First Time Since Spring
Next Raises Full-Year Profit Guidance After Strong Third-Quarter Performance
Reform UK’s Lee Anderson Admits to 'Gaming' Benefits System While Advocating Crackdown
United States and South Korea Conclude Major Trade Accord Worth $350 Billion
Hurricane Melissa Strikes Cuba After Devastating Jamaica With Record Winds
Vice President Vance to Headline Turning Point USA Campus Event at Ole Miss
U.S. Targets Maritime Narco-Routes While Border Pressure to Mexico Remains Limited
Bill Gates at 70: “I Have a Real Fear of Artificial Intelligence – and Also Regret”
Elon Musk Unveils Grokipedia: An AI-Driven Alternative to Wikipedia
Saudi Arabia Unveils Vision for First-Ever "Sky Stadium" Suspended Over Desert Floor
Amazon Announces 14 000 Corporate Job Cuts as AI Investment Accelerates
UK Shop Prices Fall for First Time Since March, Food Leads the Decline
London Stock Exchange Group ADR (LNSTY) Earns Zacks Rank #1 Upgrade on Rising Earnings Outlook
Soap legend Tony Adams, long-time star of Crossroads, dies at 84
Rachel Reeves Signals Tax Increases Ahead of November Budget Amid £20-50 Billion Fiscal Gap
NatWest Past Gains of 314% Spotlight Opportunity — But Some Key Risks Remain
UK Launches ‘Golden Age’ of Nuclear with £38 Billion Sizewell C Approval
UK Announces £1.08 Billion Budget for Offshore Wind Auction to Boost 2030 Capacity
UK Seeks Steel Alliance with EU and US to Counter China’s Over-Capacity
UK Struggles to Balance China as Both Strategic Threat and Valued Trading Partner
Argentina’s Markets Surge as Milei’s Party Secures Major Win
British Journalist Sami Hamdi Detained by U.S. Authorities After Visa Revocation Amid Israel-Gaza Commentary
King Charles Unveils UK’s First LGBT+ Armed Forces Memorial at National Memorial Arboretum
At ninety-two and re-elected: Paul Biya secures eighth term in Cameroon amid unrest
Racist Incidents Against UK Nurses Surge by 55%
UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves Cites Shared Concerns With Trump Administration as Foundation for Early US-UK Trade Deal
Essentra plc: A Closer Look at a UK ‘Penny Stock’ Opportunity Amid Market Weakness
U.S. and China Near Deal to Avert Rare-Earth Export Controls Ahead of Trump-Xi Summit
Justin time: Justin Herbert Shields Madison Beer with Impressive Reflex at Lakers Game
Russia’s President Putin Declares Burevestnik Nuclear Cruise Missile Ready for Deployment
Giuffre’s Memoir Alleges Maxwell Claimed Sexual Act with Clooney
House Republicans Move to Strip NYC Mayoral Front-Runner Zohran Mamdani of U.S. Citizenship
Record-High Spoiled Ballots Signal Voter Discontent in Ireland’s 2025 Presidential Election
Philippines’ Taal Volcano Erupts Overnight with 2.4 km Ash Plume
Albania’s Virtual AI 'Minister' Diella Set to 'Birth' Eighty-Three Digital Assistants for MPs
Tesla Unveils Vision for Optimus V3 as ‘Biggest Product of All Time’, Including Surgical Capabilities
Francis Ford Coppola Auctions Luxury Watches After Self-Financed Film Flop
Convicted Sex Offender Mistakenly Freed by UK Prison Service Arrested in London
United States and China Begin Constructive Trade Negotiations Ahead of Trump–Xi Summit
U.S. Treasury Sanctions Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro over Drug-Trafficking Allegations
Miss USA Crowns Nebraska’s Audrey Eckert Amid Leadership Overhaul
‘I Am Not Done’: Kamala Harris Signals Possible 2028 White House Run
NBA Faces Integrity Crisis After Mass Arrests in Gambling Scandal
Swift Heist at the Louvre Sees Eight French Crown Jewels Stolen in Under Seven Minutes
U.S. Halts Trade Talks with Canada After Ontario Ad Using Reagan Voice Triggers Diplomatic Fallout
Microsoft AI CEO: ‘We’re making an AI that you can trust your kids to use’ — but can Microsoft rebuild its own trust before fixing the industry’s?
×