The UK has lost its measles-free status due to a rise in deaths from the disease and a decline in the proportion of children receiving the MMR jab in recent years.
The World Health Institution no longer classifies Britain as having eliminated measles because the disease has re-established itself.
The UK joins five other European and central Asian countries – Spain, Austria, Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Uzbekistan – in losing their measles-free status, according to the WHO.
The WHO previously recognized the UK as having eliminated measles between 2021 and 2023. However, recent increases in cases – 3,681 recorded in 2024 – and outbreaks, along with a rise in deaths, prompted a reassessment.
Between 2019 and 2025,20 deaths occurred from measles,equaling the number recorded in the 19 years prior,from 1999 to 2018.
Doctors, public health experts, and local councils attribute the WHO’s decision to declining MMR vaccination uptake, citing vaccine hesitancy and difficulties in securing appointments.
Dr. Simon Williams, a public health researcher at Swansea University, stated, “It’s sad to see the UK losing its measles elimination status, although it’s not surprising given outbreaks in recent years. Measles is an eminently preventable disease but vaccine coverage of MMR has declined. We are seeing vaccine hesitancy growing in the UK, as in many countries, and social media-based conspiracies about MMR are a factor.”
He emphasized that the WHO’s decision “is a wake-up call” requiring increased efforts to raise MMR vaccination rates in UK children to the 95% level needed for herd immunity and complete elimination of measles, mumps, and rubella.
