UK loses measles elimination status, warns WHO

The UK has mislaid its measles elimination presumption from the World Health Organisation (WHO) aft vaccination sum plateaued and cases surged.

From 2021 to 2023, the state was considered to person "eliminated" the disease, but planetary wellness officials accidental measles transmission was re-established successful the UK successful 2024.

Vaccination sum has flatlined successful caller years, with recorded measles infections successful the UK soaring to 3,681 successful 2024.

Spain, Austria, Armenia, ⁠Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan besides mislaid their status, and the WHO urged countries to boost vaccination rates to forestall the ​disease infecting much children.

"It is unsurprising the UK has mislaid its WHO measles elimination status, pursuing nationwide outbreaks since 2024 and the preventable decease of a kid successful 2025," said Dr Ben Kasstan-Dabush, adjunct prof of planetary wellness astatine the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

The latest figures for England from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) amusement that successful 2024-25, conscionable 83.7% of five-year-olds had received some MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) vaccine doses, down year-on-year from 83.9%.

This was the lowest level since 2009-10.

Also successful 2024-25, immoderate 91.9% of five-year-olds had received 1 dose of the MMR vaccine, unchanged from 2023-24 and the lowest level since 2010-11.

The WHO advises that astatine slightest 95% of children should person vaccine doses for each unwellness to execute herd immunity.

"Infections tin instrumentality rapidly erstwhile puerility vaccine uptake falls," said Dr Vanessa Saliba, advisor epidemiologist astatine the UKHSA.

"Measles elimination is lone imaginable if each eligible children person 2 MMRV doses earlier school.

"Older children and adults who missed vaccination indispensable beryllium caught up."

From the commencement of January, children person been offered a combined MMRV vaccine, which protects against measles, mumps, rubella and chickenpox, alternatively of the MMR jab, arsenic portion of the puerility regular two-dose vaccination schedule.

Dose 1 is being offered astatine 1 twelvemonth of property and dose 2 has been brought guardant from 3 years 4 months to a caller 18-month appointment.

The rollout crossed the 4 nations of the UK comes aft the combined MMRV (measles, mumps, rubella and varicella) jab was recommended by the Joint Committee connected Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) successful 2023.

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A WHO spokesperson said the UK's alteration of presumption "reflects a broader challenge" that the organisation is facing crossed Europe.

They added that: "Outbreaks of measles and different vaccine-preventable diseases are threats to wellness information successful Europe".

"It's highly concerning that successful the UK we present person pockets of debased oregon nary vaccine uptake," said Dr Bharat Pankhania, elder objective lecturer successful nationalist wellness medicine astatine the University of Exeter Medical School.

He warned that "we urgently request to remedy this situation".