Measles has reappeared in the U.K. after the nation eradicated the ailment for quite some time.(Image credit: _jure via Getty Images)ShareShare by:
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The U.K. has formally relinquished its status as measles-free, suggesting that the exceptionally contagious illness has been in consistent transmission in the region for a minimum of a year.
In the last ten years, the U.K. has both achieved, relinquished, and subsequently regained its designation as having eliminated measles, as per an update released on Jan. 26 by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA). The country eliminated the ailment in 2016 but faced a re-emergence in 2018, in conjunction with the remainder of Europe. It then reassumed its elimination status in 2021, when measures implemented to halt the advance of COVID-19 also curtailed measles levels.
However, in subsequent years, measles occurrences have risen once more within the nation — and relying on statistics from 2024 submitted to the World Health Organization (WHO), the contamination is currently formally reinstated in the U.K.
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Ben Kasstan-Dabush, an assistant professor of global health and development at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, described the development as “not shocking.”
“Continued transmission of measles is indicative of a decade-long waning in regular vaccination rates and the recurring failure in the UK to attain the 95% measles immunization coverage mark suggested by WHO,” Kasstan-Dabush articulated in a statement. “Notably diminished coverage in locales such as Hackney [in East London] highlights the asymmetrical distribution of risk and harm to children.”
Given measles’ high level of contagiousness, the majority of a community must possess immunity — achieved through either vaccination or previous exposure — to impede the ailment’s spread. Measles immunizations are administered in a two-dose sequence, which, upon completion, demonstrates approximately 97% efficacy in the prevention of measles. To realize community immunity via vaccination, 95% of a populace must have been given two doses of the vaccine, as indicated by the WHO.
In the U.K., immunizations are not obligatory, but measles inoculation is encouraged within the National Health Service’s national immunization initiative. Youngsters were previously presented with the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine, with the preliminary dose given at age 1 and the second at age 3. Beginning in 2026, young children are advised to receive the MMRV vaccine, which offers added defense against chickenpox (varicella), with doses planned at 12 and 18 months of age. The MMR vaccine remains in use for children born prior to 2019, and also for adults who have yet to finish their two-dose sequence.
In 2024, the U.K. documented 92.3% coverage with the initial MMR dose and 84.4% with the subsequent one, levels that nearly mirror the coverage figures reported in 2023. Recent years indicate that 2016 had the apex coverage levels, recording 95.3% for the first dose and 88.2% for the second. Coverage has been progressively diminishing since that time.
“Historical insights teach us that elimination can be attained and sustained only through improvements in the coverage of the MMRV vaccine in children to achieve the WHO’s 95% goal, together with taking full advantage of all chances to bring up to date older children and adults who were not vaccinated when they were younger,” the UKHSA statement reads.
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As shown by the 2024 figures, additional countries within the WHO European Region have forfeited their measles elimination status, and these include Spain, Austria, Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Uzbekistan.
Meanwhile, Canada relinquished its measles elimination status in November 2025, and the U.S. is on the verge of surrendering its status presently. In the United States, health authorities are presently scrutinizing whether several outbreaks transpiring across the nation are interrelated. Should they establish that the same outbreak strain has been in circulation for a year, the country’s measles elimination status will be forfeited.
Specialists have identified conspicuous anti-vaccine activists, such as Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., as key influencers in the U.S.’ declining vaccine coverage and escalating measles rates. However, in mid-January, the chief deputy director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention dismissed the matter, stating he would not deem the potential loss of America’s status as a noteworthy development.
Disclaimer
This article serves only informational intentions and is not intended to provide medical guidance.
TOPICSvaccines
Nicoletta LaneseSocial Links NavigationChannel Editor, Health
Nicoletta Lanese functions as the health channel editor at Live Science and formerly held roles as a news editor and staff writer at the site. She holds a graduate certificate in science communication from UC Santa Cruz and earned degrees in neuroscience and dance from the University of Florida. Her published works have appeared in The Scientist, Science News, the Mercury News, Mongabay, and Stanford Medicine Magazine, in addition to various other publications. Residing in NYC, she also maintains a strong dedication to dance and performs within the works of local choreographers.
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