UK officials warn low measles vaccination rates could lead to tens of thousands of cases in London
LONDON (AP) — Britain’s Health Security Agency said Friday that measles vaccination rates in parts of London have fallen so low that the capital could face tens of thousands of cases of the rash-causing disease unless immunization coverage is quickly ramped up.
In a statement, the agency said that among some groups of children in London, less than 70% received their first dose of the standard measles, mumps and rubella vaccine; two doses are needed to provide protection. Measles is one of the world’s most contagious diseases and health experts estimate that about 95% of the population will need to be immunized to stop new outbreaks.
The Health Security Agency said that while the risk of an outbreak in the UK was low, current levels of immunization in London suggest “a measles outbreak of between 40,000 and 160,000 cases could occur in the capital”. As of June 30, there were 128 cases of measles in Britain this year, up from 54 cases last year. More than 60% of cases in 2023 were in London.
Britain’s National Health Service said it was launching a targeted national campaign to boost measles vaccination in communities with the lowest coverage.
British officials said people aged 19 to 25 were at particularly high risk of contracting measles, noting that many of them may have missed vaccinations following false allegations by British doctor Andrew Wakefield in 1998 that the MMR vaccine was linked with autism. The study was later discredited and Wakefield was expelled by medical authorities for misconduct, but he sparked an anti-vaccine movement that for years damaged vaccination rates in the UK and beyond.
Globally, measles immunization rates have fallen significantly in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic; the World Health Organization warned last November 40 million children in the world missed a dose of measles vaccine in 2021. In Europe, WHO noted that cases have risen this year in some countries, including Russia, Austria, Serbia and the UK.
The measles is an airborne disease and usually causes a cough, red eyes and a rash on the face. Serious complications are usually seen in children under five and adults over 30 and include blindness, encephalitis and pneumonia.
According to the WHO, more than 128,000 people died in 2021, mostly children under the age of five.
