60 Additional Measles Cases in England Confirmed

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) today reported an additional 60 laboratory-confirmed measles cases have been confirmed in England during the ongoing outbreak.

This brings the total number of measles cases since October 2023 to 581.

As of February 22, 2024, the West Midlands accounted for most of these (47%, 79 of 169) measles cases, mainly in Birmingham, the largest city in the West Midlands, with over 1.1 million residents.

Furthermore, the majority (379 of 581, 65%) of these cases are in children.

In a press release, Dr. Vanessa Saliba, UKHSA Consultant Epidemiologist, said, "We're urging parents to protect their children from this serious illness with the MMR vaccine before it spreads further."

"...but 100s of thousands of unvaccinated children are at risk of severe illness or life-long complications."

"The disease spreads very quickly among those who are unvaccinated, especially in schools and nurseries. However, measles is entirely preventable with vaccination."

In the United Kingdom, two MMR vaccine brands are available: Priorix and MMRVaxPro.

The data published in this UKHSA epidemiological overview is currently provisional.