Key facts
- Two children have died from measles in England this year.
- 106 new measles cases were reported in the last fortnight.
- A total of 736 measles cases have been confirmed in England between January 1 and June 8.
- Most cases occurred in unvaccinated children aged 10 and under.
- Measles vaccination coverage for five-year-olds in England is 91.8% for one dose, unchanged from the prior year.
Two children have died from measles in England this year, health officials announced, as data reveals a significant increase in reported cases. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) confirmed one child died from acute measles and another from its late effects, marking the first time two child deaths from the illness have occurred in a single year in England and Wales since 2018.
In the last fortnight alone, 106 new laboratory-confirmed measles cases were reported in England, bringing the total for the year to 736. This figure is approaching the 959 cases recorded for the entirety of 2025. The majority of recent cases have been among unvaccinated children aged 10 and under, with measles circulating most actively in London, the east of England, and the West Midlands.
Health officials are urging parents to ensure their children are up-to-date with their MMR or MMRV vaccines, emphasizing that measles can be a serious and fatal illness. Dr. Vanessa Saliba, a consultant epidemiologist at UKHSA, stressed that vaccination protects not only the individual but also vulnerable populations, including infants too young to be vaccinated and those with health conditions precluding vaccination. Catch-up appointments are available through GP practices for individuals of any age who have missed doses.
Calls for reform in MMR jab delivery have intensified, following concerns that vaccination rates in some areas of England are comparable to those in Afghanistan and Malawi. The World Health Organization (WHO) previously noted that the UK had lost its measles-eliminated status due to stalled vaccination coverage. Current data shows that only 91.8% of five-year-olds received one dose of the MMR vaccine in England in 2024-25, a level unchanged from the previous year and the lowest since 2010-11. Health Secretary James Murray echoed the call for vaccination, stating that measles is not a harmless illness and that the MMR vaccine is the best protection against this highly infectious disease.