A measles outbreak affecting primarily unvaccinated children under the age of 10 is rapidly spreading across several schools and nurseries in north London, health officials confirmed Sunday. At least 34 laboratory-confirmed cases have been identified in Enfield since January, with more than 60 suspected cases reported across seven schools and a nursery in the borough, according to local authorities.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) reported the initial 34 cases between January 1 and February 9, with some children requiring hospital treatment. A local GP surgery stated that one in five of the children infected in the recent outbreak were hospitalized, and all were not fully immunized. The outbreak represents over a third of the 96 total cases confirmed across England in the first month of the year, according to the UKHSA.
Dr. Vanessa Saliba, a consultant epidemiologist at the UKHSA, described the situation as a “big measles outbreak,” emphasizing that This proves “mostly affecting unvaccinated children under 10 in schools and nurseries, with some being hospitalised.” She warned that measles is a “nasty illness” that can lead to serious complications, including pneumonia, brain inflammation, and, in rare instances, long-term disability or death, but is “so easily preventable with two doses of the MMRV vaccine.”
Enfield Council is working closely with the UKHSA, the NHS, and local partners to limit further spread, according to Councillor Alev Cazimoglu, Enfield’s cabinet member for health and social care. Cazimoglu stated that the outbreak has “mainly affected children and some have required additional care with a short stay in hospital,” adding that measles is “approximately six times more infectious than Covid-19.”
The outbreak comes as vaccination rates for the MMRV vaccine – which protects against measles, mumps, rubella, and varicella (chickenpox) – continue to decline across the UK. Only about 84% of children have received both doses by the age of five, falling short of the 95% level needed to prevent outbreaks. Enfield has one of the lowest MMRV vaccine uptake rates in the country, with just 64.3% of five-year-olds receiving both doses in 2024-25, according to UKHSA figures from last August.
Dudu Sher-Arami, Enfield’s director of public health, is writing to every parent in the area to encourage vaccination. Temporary vaccination centers have been established in schools across the borough to boost immunization levels. Sher-Arami warned that the outbreak has the potential to cause a “much greater and bigger pan-London outbreak” due to travel patterns within the city.
UKHSA modeling suggests that a large measles outbreak in London could infect between 40,000 and 160,000 people. The current situation follows a recent measles-related death of a child in Liverpool last July after a minor outbreak there. Since the start of the year, there have been 96 confirmed cases of measles in England, with Enfield and Birmingham reporting the highest numbers.
Health officials are urging families, particularly those traveling overseas during the upcoming Easter holidays, to ensure all family members are fully vaccinated, as measles remains widespread in some countries with close links to the UK and ongoing outbreaks in parts of Europe. The UK is no longer considered to have eliminated measles, after reporting almost 4,000 infections since 2024.
