Measles Outbreak: Schools Blocking Vaccination Teams Leave Children Vulnerable
Children starting school have become the "sitting ducks" of a growing measles outbreak in London, health experts have warned, as new research reveals dozens of schools are denying access to NHS vaccination teams. This alarming situation is putting unvaccinated children at significant risk as the virus continues to spread across the capital.
Outbreak Spreads in North London
This week, more than 50 suspected cases of measles have been reported across seven schools and a nursery in Enfield, north central London. The outbreak has prompted Sir Keir Starmer to issue a direct warning to parents, urging them to ensure their children receive the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine. The Independent can now reveal that the government was alerted two years ago about schools in neighbouring north east London refusing entry to NHS vaccination teams, who specifically target children who missed their routine jab at around 12 months of age.
Research Exposes School Refusals
A 2023 study by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), published in January 2026, found that 32 out of 450 schools in north east London, including areas of Hackney and Barking, "did not allow access" to NHS school-age immunisation services. The research team, led by assistant professor Ben Kasstan-Dabush, also discovered that information on children requiring vaccination in at least 15 of those schools was not shared with immunisation teams.
"In Hackney, [almost] one in 3 children has no protection," Professor Kasstan-Dabush stated. "So it means that, as measles is circulating anyway, there are a lot of children who are sitting ducks, waiting to get very poorly, unfortunately." He emphasised the contagious nature of measles in school settings, where children mix in classrooms and playgrounds, and highlighted the lack of any requirement for schools to permit access to vaccination teams as a "huge problem."
Vaccination Rates Below Critical Threshold
Latest figures from the UK Health Security Agency paint a concerning picture. In the neighbouring Haringey area, only 65 per cent of children received both doses of the MMR vaccine in 2024-25, while Hackney recorded an even lower rate of 58.3 per cent. These figures fall drastically short of the 95 per cent target necessary to ensure herd immunity and prevent widespread outbreaks.
Professor Kasstan-Dabush warned that the Enfield outbreak has "every potential to spread elsewhere," drawing parallels with previous surges in 2024 and 2025. He stressed the urgent need to catch children up on their vaccination schedules, particularly as they are already of school age and in high-contact environments.
Data Reinforces Vaccine Importance
World Health Organization data for 2025 underscores the critical role of vaccination. It shows that over 1,000 unvaccinated children aged five to 15 contracted measles in 2024 and 2025. In comparison, only 183 children who had received one dose of the vaccine and 123 who were fully vaccinated became ill.
"It illustrates how important vaccines are because more than half of those children that became ill were not vaccinated and another quarter had only received one jab and were not yet fully immune," explained Professor Ian Jones, a virologist at Reading University. While noting that double-vaccinated cases were a minority, he expressed surprise at these infections, suggesting possible timing issues or immediate post-vaccination exposure.
Policy Calls and School Challenges
Following the LSHTM findings, researchers alerted the Department for Education to the school refusals in 2024 and called for a policy change that would mandate schools to grant access to vaccination teams. They received a response from the then-education minister, Gillian Keegan, but it remains unclear whether any guidance or policy was subsequently amended.
Professor Kasstan-Dabush identified several reasons for school refusals, including concerns about disruption to routines, capacity to support teams, and uncertainty over data-sharing protocols with the NHS. "Another one is that schools might just not play ball, and often we do see that, particularly with independent faith schools," he added, highlighting inequities in catch-up vaccination programmes.
Broader Systemic Issues
The professor also linked wider issues of austerity to declining vaccination coverage. He pointed to the significant reduction in health visitors for under-fives and the closure or scaling back of Sure Start centres, which previously provided health, early learning, and parenting support. "With numbers of health visitors slashed and Sure Start centres closed or scaled back under austerity, we have since seen a greater burden on primary care, but they cannot address the challenge of declining vaccination coverage alone," he stated, expressing hope that the Labour government's child poverty strategy might help mitigate these impacts.
Exclusion Measures and Parental Dilemmas
In response to the Enfield outbreak, Enfield Council has warned parents that unvaccinated pupils identified as close contacts of measles cases could be excluded from school for 21 days, following national guidelines. This measure aims to curb transmission but presents challenges.
Professor Paul Hunter, an epidemiologist at the University of East Anglia, compared the situation to the Covid-19 pandemic, where school closures reduced spread but harmed children's education. "If you've got an unvaccinated child and you know there's measles circulating in the school, then your child is clearly at increased risk of catching measles," he noted, warning that parents might not always follow advice or afford time off work to care for an excluded child.
Keith Neal, emeritus professor of infectious disease epidemiology at the University of Nottingham, acknowledged the 21-day rule as a "serious issue for some parents" but strongly encouraged vaccination. He cautioned that measles will continue to spread wherever there are susceptible, unvaccinated individuals until vaccination rates improve substantially.
Government Response and Future Steps
A Department for Education spokesperson affirmed: "Schools and immunisation services should be collaborating to keep children protected from serious and dangerous illnesses. We are working to improve vaccine uptake in schools, including by engaging with local leaders, providing guidance on delivery, and by making sure everyone understands the importance of vaccines." The ongoing outbreak underscores the urgent need for effective collaboration and policy reinforcement to safeguard children's health across London and beyond.
