Measles resurgence in London could infect thousands, warns health body

The vaccination rate — normally achieved through the MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) jab in young children — runs at about 85 per cent for England as a whole, but in parts of London it is below 70 per cent

London faces a resurgence of measles that could infect tens of thousands of people and kill dozens unless vaccination rates rise substantially, according to the UK body responsible for infectious disease prevention.

Analysis released by the UK Health Security Agency on Friday showed that England had 128 confirmed cases of measles in the first half of this year, with 66 per cent of those cases in London. There were 54 cases across the country in the whole of 2022.