Children who have not been vaccinated against measles could be excluded from school if an outbreak occurs in their area, health leaders have warned. An emergency meeting of the London Assembly is scheduled for Monday to discuss an 'unprecedented' outbreak in the capital, which has already seen unvaccinated pupils told not to attend school in the borough of Enfield.
The outbreak has seen 100 confirmed measles cases in north London this year, with the true number believed to be higher. Health officials fear the disease could spread nationwide and lead to child deaths. The policy being considered in London could become a blueprint for other cities as UK vaccination rates have fallen to their lowest in over a decade.
Emma Best, chair of the London Assembly health committee, said: 'We're looking at this in London but the whole of the UK should be watching now. The first thing to say about measles is the level of contagion. It can appear as a cold or a runny nose at first so parents can still send their children into school with it so it has spread very quickly.' She added that while many people experience mild symptoms, measles can be fatal, with over 100,000 deaths globally each year.
Measles is one of the most infectious diseases, spread through the air or water droplets. In rare cases, it can lead to death or disabilities such as blindness, deafness, and lifelong cognitive problems. In Western Europe, measles still causes death in about 1 in 5,000 cases.
Vaccination coverage for the MMR jab has declined since a discredited 1998 study falsely linked it to autism. The UK was considered to have eliminated measles from 2021 to 2023, but the World Health Organisation confirmed the disease had re-established itself in 2024. Latest figures show 91.9% of five-year-olds in England had received one MMR dose in 2024/25, the lowest since 2010/11, while just 83.7% had both doses.
The London Assembly meeting will include leaders from the UK Health Security Agency. Ms Best said: 'The steps that were taken, if they are found to have worked, then that is what every city could be looking to put in place. Nationwide everyone should be looking at this.'
