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, a further 86 laboratory confirmed measles cases have been confirmed in England, bringing the total number of cases confirmed since 1 October 2023 to 1109.

The rapid increase in cases seen in late 2023 was initially driven by a large outbreak in Birmingham but activity there has now stabilised and in more recent weeks we have seen a rise in cases in London and smaller clusters ongoing in other regions.

In the 4 weeks since 18 March 2024, there have been 191 laboratory confirmed measles cases. 39.8% of cases were in London (76 of 191), with the West Midlands accounting for a quarter of cases (25.1%, 48 of 191). Around 12% of cases (23 of 191) were in the East Midlands.

Since 1 October, in England there have been 1109 laboratory confirmed measles cases:

• 17 cases were reported in October 2023
• 41 in November 2023
• 153 in December 2023
• 274 in January 2024
• 253 in February 2024
• 299 in March 2024
• 72 (to date) in April 2024

48.2% (535 of 1109) of these cases have been in the West Midlands, 24.3% (269 of 1109) in London and 9.5% (105 of 1109) in the East Midlands. The remaining cases were reported in other regions of England.

The majority (706 of 1109, 63.7%) of these cases were in children aged 10 years and under, and 28.8% (319 of 1109) in young people and adults aged 15 years and over.

The data published in this epidemiological overview covers the period between 1 October 2023 and 15 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 Vanessa Saliba, UKHSA Consultant Epidemiologist, said:

Numbers of measles cases are rising across the country, with a particular increase seen in London in recent weeks.

We know some communities in London have very low MMR vaccination rates. Measles is extremely infectious and it only takes one case to get into these communities for this disease to spread rapidly, especially in schools and nurseries.

The MMR jab offers the best protection against measles. Measles is preventable but many thousands of children around the country are still not fully vaccinated and may be at risk of serious illness or life-long complications. No parent wants this for their child.

Parents should check their child’s Red Book now to ensure that children are up to date with the MMR and other routine vaccines. If you’re unsure, contact your GP practice to check. Your GP can offer the vaccinations your child needs to bring them up to date. If the NHS contacts you 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.