England's Under-Vaccinations Continue Measles Outbreaks in 2025

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has recently published its monthly update on measles cases in England, which shows that outbreaks are continuing, with 109 cases confirmed in April and 86 so far in May 2025.

Since January 2025, the UKHSA has reported 420 laboratory-confirmed cases of measles in England.

As of June 6, 2025, 39% (162 of 420) of these cases have been in London, 14% in the South West, and 14% in the East of England.

Last year, there were 2,911 laboratory-confirmed measles cases in England, the highest number of cases recorded annually since 2012. The 2024 outbreak was initially reported in Birmingham but was soon overtaken by a large outbreak in London.

Dr. Amanda Doyle, National Director for Primary Care and Community Services at NHS England, stated in a media release, "Too many babies and young children are still not protected against the diseases, which are contagious infections that spread very easily and can cause serious health problems."

"MMR jabs are provided free as part of the NHS routine immunisation programme – and I would encourage all parents to act on invites or check vaccination records if they think they may have missed their child's vaccination."

In England, the decline of the uptake of childhood vaccinations, including MMR, in the past decade (below the WHO 95% vaccination target) means thousands of children are left unprotected.

London has the lowest MMR uptake rates compared with other English regions (MMR2 uptake at 5 years is just 73.3% in London compared to the English average of 83.9%).

To warn visitors to England of this health risk, the U.S. CDC included numerous areas of the United Kingdom in its May 28, 2025, Level 1, Global Travel Advisory.

The CDC recommends prospective visitors to England speak with a travel vaccine expert one month before departure to ensure maximum protection can be achieved.