North London Measles Outbreak Hospitalises Children Across Seven Schools
Children from at least seven schools in north London have been hospitalised due to a measles outbreak, with more than 60 cases reported in the capital since January. The infections have been confirmed across several schools in the boroughs of Enfield and Haringey, according to a warning issued by Evergreen GP Surgery in Edmonton, which stated that the infection is actively spreading.
Hospitalisations and Confirmed Cases
Laboratory tests have confirmed 34 cases of measles in Enfield alone since 12 January, with one in five of these children requiring hospitalisation. All affected children had not been fully immunised against the disease, as highlighted by the GP surgery. The outbreak underscores the critical importance of vaccination in preventing severe illness.
Evergreen Surgery emphasised on its website: "There is no treatment for measles, only the vaccination to prevent catching it, which is part of the Measles, Mumps, Rubella, Varicella (MMRV) injection. Parents should ensure that their children are up-to-date with all their immunisations. This can be done by checking the child’s immunisations ‘red book’ or contacting the practice nurse here at the GP practice."
Low Vaccination Rates and Herd Immunity Concerns
The outbreak follows recent data from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), which revealed that not a single childhood vaccine in England met the target needed to prevent disease spread among children last year. The World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends at least 95% of children receive vaccine doses for each illness to achieve herd immunity.
- Only 91.9% of five-year-olds had received one dose of the MMR vaccine, unchanged from 2023/24 and the lowest level since 2010/11.
- Just 83.7% of five-year-olds had received both MMR doses, the lowest level since 2009/10.
- Uptake of the first MMR dose at 24 months stood at 88.9% in 2024/25 – unchanged on the previous year but again the lowest figure since 2009/10.
Last month, the WHO confirmed that measles is re-established in the UK following a plateau in vaccination coverage and a surge in cases in 2024.
Broader Vaccine Coverage Issues
Coverage for other key vaccines is also concerning:
- The Hib/MenC vaccine, which protects against haemophilus influenzae type B and meningitis C, stood at 88.9% for children aged five, the lowest level since 2011/12.
- Uptake of the four-in-one pre-school booster vaccine – protecting against polio, whooping cough, tetanus, and diphtheria – was just 81.4% among five-year-olds, the lowest since current data began in 2009/10.
Health Officials' Warnings and Elimination Status
Health chiefs have been unable to provide MPs with a target for meeting 95% vaccine coverage or regaining measles elimination status. Dr Mary Ramsay, director of public health programmes at UKHSA, noted that high vaccine coverage is a key indicator but not the sole factor.
"It’s largely related to how many cases of measles you have," she said. "We are now having lower levels, but we’re still seeing circulation of measles. So until we stop circulating measles, we’re not going to get back to elimination." She added that recovering from low coverage often takes many years.
The MMR vaccine has been updated to also protect against chicken pox, offering broader protection. However, the ongoing outbreak in north London serves as a stark reminder of the risks posed by declining immunisation rates and the urgent need for parents to ensure their children are vaccinated.
