North London Measles Outbreak Infects Over 60 Children as Vaccination Rates Plummet

A fast-spreading measles outbreak in north-east London has infected more than 60 children across seven schools and a nursery in the borough of Enfield, with roughly one in five of those infected requiring hospital treatment . All hospitalized children were unvaccinated or incompletely vaccinated, according to a local GP surgery notice describing the situation as a "fast-spreading measles outbreak" Fast-spreading measles outbreak takes hold among under-10s in north Londontheguardian.com·SecondaryUK Health Security Agency urges parents in Enfield to get their children vaccinated as Easter holiday travels approach A big measles outbreak in north-east London is affecting unvaccinated children under the age of 10, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has confirmed. UKHSA previously reported 34 laboratory-confirmed measles cases among children who attend schools and nurseries in Enfield from 1 January to 9 February, with some requiring hospital treatment..

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) confirmed 34 laboratory-confirmed cases among children attending schools and nurseries in Enfield between January 1 and February 9, though the actual number of suspected cases reported by educational institutions is nearly double that figure . Dr. Vanessa Saliba, a consultant epidemiologist at the UKHSA, described the situation as a "big measles outbreak" predominantly affecting unvaccinated children under 10 Fast-spreading measles outbreak takes hold among under-10s in north Londontheguardian.com·SecondaryUK Health Security Agency urges parents in Enfield to get their children vaccinated as Easter holiday travels approach A big measles outbreak in north-east London is affecting unvaccinated children under the age of 10, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has confirmed. UKHSA previously reported 34 laboratory-confirmed measles cases among children who attend schools and nurseries in Enfield from 1 January to 9 February, with some requiring hospital treatment..

Enfield's Vaccination Crisis

The outbreak has laid bare the scale of Enfield's immunization gap. The borough has one of the lowest MMRV vaccine uptake rates in England, with just 64.3 percent of five-year-olds having received both doses in the 2024-25 reporting period — far below the 95 percent threshold the World Health Organization considers necessary to prevent sustained transmission Fast-spreading measles outbreak takes hold among under-10s in north Londontheguardian.com·SecondaryUK Health Security Agency urges parents in Enfield to get their children vaccinated as Easter holiday travels approach A big measles outbreak in north-east London is affecting unvaccinated children under the age of 10, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has confirmed. UKHSA previously reported 34 laboratory-confirmed measles cases among children who attend schools and nurseries in Enfield from 1 January to 9 February, with some requiring hospital treatment.. Nationally, first-dose MMR coverage in England fell from 91.9 percent in 2015-16 to 88.9 percent in 2024-25, a steady decade-long decline that public health officials have watched with growing alarm.

Dudu Sher-Arami, Enfield's director of public health, warned that the outbreak poses risks well beyond the borough's borders. "It is possible for it to grow. We know that measles has got some very nasty complications. It can cause deafness. It can cause brain damage and one in five children can need hospital treatment," she told the Sunday Times More than 60 children infected in north London measles outbreaktheguardian.com·SecondaryCases reported in seven schools and a nursery in Enfield amid concern over low levels of MMR vaccination in capital More than 60 children have been infected by a measles outbreak in north London, it has been reported. Seven schools and a nursery in Enfield reported the cases, with some children treated in hospital, according to the Sunday Times. There are concerns the outbreak is linked to low levels of MMR vaccination in the capital.. She added that London has "one of the lowest, if not the lowest, vaccination uptake rates" in the country, raising the specter of a "much greater and bigger pan-London outbreak" as residents travel across the city More than 60 children infected in north London measles outbreaktheguardian.com·SecondaryCases reported in seven schools and a nursery in Enfield amid concern over low levels of MMR vaccination in capital More than 60 children have been infected by a measles outbreak in north London, it has been reported. Seven schools and a nursery in Enfield reported the cases, with some children treated in hospital, according to the Sunday Times. There are concerns the outbreak is linked to low levels of MMR vaccination in the capital..

Emergency Response and Government Action

Local authorities have moved quickly to contain the spread. Sher-Arami is writing directly to every parent in the area urging them to check their children's vaccination status . Temporary vaccination clinics have been established in affected schools and at sites throughout Enfield, offering the MMRV jab — the updated version of the MMR vaccine that now also covers chickenpox (varicella) Fast-spreading measles outbreak takes hold among under-10s in north Londontheguardian.com·SecondaryUK Health Security Agency urges parents in Enfield to get their children vaccinated as Easter holiday travels approach A big measles outbreak in north-east London is affecting unvaccinated children under the age of 10, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has confirmed. UKHSA previously reported 34 laboratory-confirmed measles cases among children who attend schools and nurseries in Enfield from 1 January to 9 February, with some requiring hospital treatment..

Alev Cazimoglu, Enfield Council's cabinet member for health and social care, emphasized the virus's extraordinary transmissibility. "Measles is one of the most infectious known diseases. It is approximately six times more infectious than Covid-19," she said, urging families to take up the free NHS vaccine Fast-spreading measles outbreak takes hold among under-10s in north Londontheguardian.com·SecondaryUK Health Security Agency urges parents in Enfield to get their children vaccinated as Easter holiday travels approach A big measles outbreak in north-east London is affecting unvaccinated children under the age of 10, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has confirmed. UKHSA previously reported 34 laboratory-confirmed measles cases among children who attend schools and nurseries in Enfield from 1 January to 9 February, with some requiring hospital treatment..

The government is expected to launch a national childhood vaccination campaign next week, with advertisements on social media, YouTube, and radio aimed at countering vaccine skepticism . The timing reflects broader institutional concern: just last month, the World Health Organization officially declared that the UK had lost its measles elimination status, confirming that endemic transmission was re-established in 2024 after 3,681 cases were recorded nationwide that year Fast-spreading measles outbreak takes hold among under-10s in north Londontheguardian.com·SecondaryUK Health Security Agency urges parents in Enfield to get their children vaccinated as Easter holiday travels approach A big measles outbreak in north-east London is affecting unvaccinated children under the age of 10, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has confirmed. UKHSA previously reported 34 laboratory-confirmed measles cases among children who attend schools and nurseries in Enfield from 1 January to 9 February, with some requiring hospital treatment..

Why Vaccination Rates Are Falling

The decline in uptake is a complex story that resists simple explanation. While the long shadow of Andrew Wakefield's discredited 1998 study linking MMR to autism continues to fuel pockets of hesitancy, experts point to a broader set of factors: pandemic-related disruptions to routine childhood appointments, growing distrust of public health institutions following Covid-era lockdowns, and logistical barriers in underserved communities where GP access is limited.

There is also a legitimate debate about the role of public health messaging. Critics argue that decades of heavy-handed government campaigns have bred a backlash among parents who feel their concerns are dismissed rather than addressed. The UK's Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation has acknowledged that rebuilding trust requires listening to parental concerns rather than simply repeating vaccination mandates.

Some commentators have noted that the same progressive public health establishment now sounding the alarm was, during the Covid pandemic, willing to impose unprecedented restrictions on children's lives — school closures, mask mandates, disrupted social development — while downplaying risks to young people. The resulting erosion of institutional credibility, they argue, has made it harder to deliver straightforward public health messages about childhood vaccination.

The Measles Threat in Context

Measles remains one of the most contagious viruses known to science. A single infected person can transmit the virus to up to 18 unvaccinated individuals More than 60 children infected in north London measles outbreaktheguardian.com·SecondaryCases reported in seven schools and a nursery in Enfield amid concern over low levels of MMR vaccination in capital More than 60 children have been infected by a measles outbreak in north London, it has been reported. Seven schools and a nursery in Enfield reported the cases, with some children treated in hospital, according to the Sunday Times. There are concerns the outbreak is linked to low levels of MMR vaccination in the capital.. While most children recover, the disease can cause serious complications including pneumonia, encephalitis (brain inflammation), and in rare cases, permanent disability or death Fast-spreading measles outbreak takes hold among under-10s in north Londontheguardian.com·SecondaryUK Health Security Agency urges parents in Enfield to get their children vaccinated as Easter holiday travels approach A big measles outbreak in north-east London is affecting unvaccinated children under the age of 10, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has confirmed. UKHSA previously reported 34 laboratory-confirmed measles cases among children who attend schools and nurseries in Enfield from 1 January to 9 February, with some requiring hospital treatment.. The UKHSA noted that a child died from measles in the UK in 2025 — the first such death in years.

The Enfield outbreak also carries implications for international travel. With Easter holidays approaching, Dr. Saliba urged families planning trips abroad to ensure all members are vaccinated, noting that "measles is widespread in some countries with close links to the UK and there are ongoing outbreaks in parts of Europe" Fast-spreading measles outbreak takes hold among under-10s in north Londontheguardian.com·SecondaryUK Health Security Agency urges parents in Enfield to get their children vaccinated as Easter holiday travels approach A big measles outbreak in north-east London is affecting unvaccinated children under the age of 10, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has confirmed. UKHSA previously reported 34 laboratory-confirmed measles cases among children who attend schools and nurseries in Enfield from 1 January to 9 February, with some requiring hospital treatment..

What Comes Next

The immediate question is whether the outbreak can be contained before it spreads to other London boroughs. With the capital's vaccination rates among the lowest in England and significant population movement across the city, the conditions for wider transmission are firmly in place.

The broader policy challenge is structural. The UK achieved measles elimination status in 2017, lost it briefly, regained it, and has now lost it again — a pattern that reflects not a one-off failure but a systemic inability to maintain vaccination coverage at the required threshold. Whether the government's planned media campaign can reverse a decade of declining uptake remains to be seen.

For parents in Enfield and across London, the immediate advice is straightforward: the MMRV vaccine is free, effective, and available at GP surgeries and temporary clinics. Two doses provide approximately 99 percent protection against measles Fast-spreading measles outbreak takes hold among under-10s in north Londontheguardian.com·SecondaryUK Health Security Agency urges parents in Enfield to get their children vaccinated as Easter holiday travels approach A big measles outbreak in north-east London is affecting unvaccinated children under the age of 10, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has confirmed. UKHSA previously reported 34 laboratory-confirmed measles cases among children who attend schools and nurseries in Enfield from 1 January to 9 February, with some requiring hospital treatment.. The question of how the UK lost enough ground for a preventable disease to re-establish itself is one that will outlast this particular outbreak.