Measles outbreak: what you need to know

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By Erin Dean

As rates of measles rise, Doctors.net.uk looks at what is known about the current outbreak of the highly-contagious disease – and what is being done about it.

What is the current situation with measles in the UK?

There is a significant outbreak of measles spreading rapidly among children in north London, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has warned.

There have been 50 recorded cases in Enfield and Haringey in what the UKHSA described as a big and fast-moving outbreak.

It is mostly affecting unvaccinated children under 10 in schools and nurseries, health officials said. The actual figure could be much higher because of a time lag on testing.

An Enfield GP practice said there were cases in “at least” seven schools and warned many children had been hospitalised.

Overall there have been 130 laboratory confirmed measles cases reported in England this year, with 28 of these in Birmingham.