Measles infections have been confirmed across at least seven schools in north London as the NHS has warned parents to immunise their children.
Cases were confirmed across at several schools in Enfield and Haringey, according to a warning issued by Evergreen GP Surgery in Edmonton, who said that the infection was spreading.
More than 60 measles cases were reported in London since January, and labs have confirmed 34 cases of measles in Enfield since 12 January, with one in five of these children being hospitalised with the infection.
All of those affected had not been fully immunised, according to the GP surgery.
“There is no treatment for measles, only the vaccination to prevent catching it, which is part of the Measles, Mumps, Rubella, Varicella (MMRV) injection,” the surgery said on the website.
“Parents should ensure that their children are up-to-date with all their immunisations. This can be done by checking the child’s immunisations ‘red book’ or contacting the practice nurse here at the GP practice.”
The MMR vaccine has been updated to also protect against chicken pox.
The outbreak comes after recent UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) figures showed that not a single childhood vaccine in England last year met the target needed to ensure diseases cannot spread among youngsters.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends at least 95 per cent of children should receive vaccine doses for each illness to achieve herd immunity.
Some 91.9 per cent of five-year-olds had received one dose of the MMR (measles, mumps & rubella) vaccine, unchanged from 2023/24 and the lowest level since 2010/11, while just 83.7 per cent of five-year-olds had received both MMR doses, the lowest level since 2009/10.
Uptake of the first MMR dose at 24 months stood at 88.9 per cent in 2024/25 – unchanged on the previous year, but again the lowest figure since 2009/10.
Last month, the WHO confirmed that measles is re-established in the UK following a plateau in vaccination coverage and a surge in cases in 2024.
Coverage for the Hib/MenC vaccine, which protects against haemophilus influenzae type B and meningitis C, stood at 88.9 per cent for children aged five, the lowest level since 2011/12.
Meanwhile, uptake of the four-in-one pre-school booster vaccine – which protects against polio, whooping cough, tetanus and diphtheria – stood at just 81.4 per cent among five-year-olds, the lowest since current data began in 2009/10.
Elsewhere, health chiefs could not give MPs on the committee a target for meeting 95 per cent coverage on vaccines or regaining measles elimination status.
Dr Mary Ramsay, director of public health programmes at UKHSA, said high vaccine coverage is one of the “main indicators” of regaining measles elimination status, “but it’s not the only one”.
“It’s largely related to how many cases of measles you have,” she said.
“We are now having lower levels, but we’re still seeing circulation of measles. So until we stop circulating measles, we’re not going to get back to elimination.”
She added that “when we have had low coverage, it’s often taken many years to get back”.
