Measles outbreak hits north London schools and nursery, over 60 cases reported

Temporary vaccination clinics have been set up in schools and across Enfield as health teams try to curb further spread.

Measles London cases: More than 60 children have been caught up in a measles outbreak in north London, with cases reported across seven schools and a nursery in Enfield and some children needing hospital treatment.

Health officials are warning that the situation could spread more widely across the capital, pointing to London’s low uptake of the MMR vaccine and the ease with which measles moves through communities where children are unvaccinated. Measles is one of the most infectious viruses in circulation and can spread rapidly in settings like schools and nurseries.

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Enfield’s public health director, Dudu Sher-Arami, has written to parents in the borough urging them to check their children’s vaccination status. She warned that, because families travel across London for work, school and daily life, a local outbreak can quickly become a pan-London problem if immunity levels remain patchy.

Temporary vaccination clinics have been set up in schools and across Enfield as health teams try to curb further spread. In the borough, more than a fifth of children are not fully protected against measles, mumps and rubella by the age of five, leaving gaps where the virus can move fast.

The outbreak comes as national figures continue to show vaccination coverage below the level needed to prevent sustained transmission. UK Health Security Agency data for 2024–25 shows 91.9% of five-year-olds had received at least one MMR dose, while 83.7% had received both doses, well short of the 95% coverage generally recommended for herd protection.

A government campaign promoting childhood vaccination is expected to launch soon, with advertising planned across social media, YouTube and radio, as officials try to counter vaccine scepticism and improve uptake.

Measles typically begins with cold-like symptoms before a rash appears a few days later, and some children may also develop small spots inside the mouth, according to NHS guidance referenced in UK reporting.

The wider backdrop is a sharp rise in measles activity in recent years. The World Health Organization has said the UK is no longer considered to have eliminated measles after transmission was re-established following a surge in cases in 2024.