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Scientist comments in response to measles cases being reported in north London.
Dr Ben Kasstan-Dabush, Assistant Professor in Global Health & Development, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), said:
“There has been a downward trend in routine childhood vaccination coverage over the past decade, and this has resulted in nationwide measles outbreaks since 2024 with cases recorded in every local authority. The proportion of children in England who received their first dose of Measles, Mumps & Rubella (MMR) vaccination by 2 years of age stabilised at 88.9% in 2024-25 and did not decrease on the previous year. However, this is still lower than the 95% threshold recommended by the World Health Organization to prevent the spread of disease.
“Coverage varies at regional levels and in Hackney approximately 1 in 3 children haven’t received their first dose of MMR vaccination by two years of age. Patchy vaccination coverage is allowing measles to spread and is putting children at risk of serious complications, and at risk of death – as we saw last year in Liverpool. The immediate priority is to ensure that all children catch-up on any missed vaccinations. Half-term brings a risk of national and international travel, allowing the virus to circulate. Parents must ensure that their children are vaccinated to schedule to avoid prolonged outbreaks, and to avoid parents having to take extended care leave from work. Longer-term strategies involve accelerating vaccine coverage recovery, by ensuring that parents have flexible access to vaccination services and also can benefit from touchpoints to speak to a trained healthcare practitioner and discuss their questions and concerns.
“There are major opportunities on the horizon that can be harnessed to help improve vaccination coverage. The Labour government’s plan to have a ‘Best Start’ Family hub in every local authority will help to integrate vaccinations into early years’ services, and scrapping the two-child benefit cap will help strengthen income security of the poorest families and allow them to prioritise vaccination and preventive health services. We need to see commitment to investment in public health and to undo the damage of austerity era policies, which have played a role in keeping vaccines beyond arm’s reach of children and families.”
Declared interests:
Dr Ben Kasstan-Dabush: “No COIs to declare”