Urgent warning as measles outbreaks spotted in the UK

Between January 1 and June 30 this year, more than 125 cases of measles have been recorded, up from 54 cases for the entirety of 2022.

The majority of those cases were detected in London, though it has been spotted throughout the UK.

UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) health protection consultant Dr William Proto said: “Measles is a very infectious virus and can spread rapidly among communities, such as schools, if people have not had at least one dose of the MMR vaccine.

A warning has been issued over the falling number of children receiving their routine jabs, which protect from illnesses including meningitis, measles and hepatitis B (Image: Getty/bymuratdeniz)

“While most people will recover completely within a couple of weeks, the virus can cause very serious illness.

“It can sometimes leave permanent disability and it can even be fatal. People in certain at-risk groups, including babies and small children, pregnant women, and people with weakened immunity are at increased risk of complications if they catch measles.

“All of the cases have been in unvaccinated children. UKHSA has advised the school and nursery that anybody who has not had at least one dose of MMR and has been in contact with a case of measles should be excluded for 21 days because it can take up to 21 days for a measles infection to develop and a person carrying the virus may still infect others while asymptomatic.

"We have been working with local authority and NHS partners to encourage uptake of the MMR vaccine. MMR is a highly effective and safe vaccine.

“Children should receive two doses of MMR for maximum protection. The vaccine not only protects them, but also limits the chances of the virus spreading more widely, for example to children who are too young to have the vaccine and to adults who may be more vulnerable to the disease.”

The warning comes as the Health and Social Care Select Committee specifically sounded the alarm over the falling number of children receiving their routine jabs, which protect from illnesses including meningitis, measles and hepatitis B.

Commenting on the report, Steve Brine, chair of the Health and Social Committee, said: “Vaccination is the one of the greatest success stories when it comes to preventing infection.

“However, unless the Government addresses challenges around declining rates among childhood immunisations and implements reform on clinical trials, the UK’s position as a global leader on vaccination risks being lost.

“The UK Health Security Agency issued a warning earlier this month that London risks a measles outbreak of tens of thousands of cases if MMR rates remain low, and we’ve seen a spike in the capital and in the West Midlands already, so that should be a massive wake-up call.

“When it comes to developing the medicines of the future, it’s alarming to hear that industrial clinical trial activity in the UK is at the lowest point to date.

“One of the challenges is the slowness of bureaucratic processes to set up trials. This and other challenges must be fixed if we are to make the most of our world-leading academic and research expertise.”