WIREDGOV

Regular measles statistics updates issued by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA).

The latest number of laboratory confirmed measles cases in England have been published in an updated epidemiological overview by UKHSA.

Since the last update a week ago, there have been a further 89 laboratory confirmed measles cases in England, bringing the total number confirmed since 1 October 2023 to 1023.

Although the ongoing outbreak in the West Midlands initially drove the increase in cases, this week’s data showed that London had the greatest number of new confirmed cases, with smaller clusters ongoing in the East Midlands and the North West.

In the 4 weeks since 11 March 2024, there have been 195 laboratory confirmed measles cases. 69 of these (35%) were reported from London, 62 (32%) from the West Midlands, and 23 (12%) from the East Midlands. Confirmed cases have been reported in all regions during this period.

Since 1 October in England there have been 1023 laboratory confirmed measles cases:

• 17 cases were reported in October 2023
• 41 in November 2023
• 154 in December 2023
• 277 in January 2024
• 248 in February 2024
• 272 in March 2024
• 14 (to date) in April 2024

51% (520 of 1023) of these cases have been in the West Midlands, 23% (232 of 1023) in London, and 9% (92 of 1023) in the East Midlands. The remaining cases were reported in other regions of England.

The majority (64%) of these cases were in children aged 10 years and under. 29% were in people aged 15 years and over.

The data published in this epidemiological overview covers the period between 1 October 2023 and 9 April 2024 and is currently provisional, with the number of cases for the most recent months likely to adjust as more suspected cases undergo confirmatory testing and data cleansing.

Dr Rob Verrecchia, UKHSA Health Protection Consultant, said:

We are continuing to see measles cases right across the country, with cases particularly high in London and the West Midlands. Measles is an extremely infectious disease, and it only takes one case to get into a community with low vaccination rates for measles to spread rapidly, especially in schools and nurseries, so it is vital that people are fully protected by two doses of the MMR vaccine. Measles is completely preventable with vaccination, but many thousands of children around the country are still not fully vaccinated and are at risk of serious illness or life-long complications. That is why our campaign is reminding parents of the importance of ensuring their children are vaccinated.

Parents should check their child’s Red Book now to ensure that children are up to date with their MMR and other routine vaccines. If you’re unsure, contact your GP practice. They will bring your child up to date if necessary. If the NHS is in touch about catching up on missed vaccines, please respond as soon as possible.

Epidemiological updates will continue to be published every Thursday. Data included in this report are provisional and subject to change as more suspected cases undergo confirmatory testing and some locally tested cases are discarded after obtaining further epidemiological information or undergoing confirmatory testing at the reference laboratory.