Health officials have warned of a potential surge of measles cases this summer as outbreaks continue across England. According to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), there were 109 confirmed cases in April and 86 so far in May, mostly among unvaccinated children under 10.
London reported almost half of all cases in the past four weeks, raising concerns about the risk of another surge due to increased travel during the summer holidays. The UKHSA has seen a total of 420 laboratory-confirmed measles cases in 2025, with two-thirds in children under 10.
The capital’s low levels of MMR uptake have contributed to the high number of cases, with 39% of this year’s cases coming from London and 47% over the past four weeks. Smaller outbreaks have also been reported in other regions.
Last year’s outbreak, which saw a national incident, led to a catch-up campaign to boost vaccine uptake. The UKHSA has warned that sustained effort will be needed to reverse declining trends. To address this, upcoming changes to the childhood immunisation schedule include an 18-month appointment for the second MMR dose.
The World Health Organisation and European public health bodies have also issued warnings about global outbreaks of measles. With many countries reporting high numbers of cases, it is essential that families check their vaccination status, especially if traveling during the summer holidays.
Source: https://www.pulsetoday.co.uk/news/clinical-areas/respiratory/ongoing-measles-outbreaks-could-surge-in-summer-ukhsa-warns