There has been a measles outbreak in North London (Image: Getty)
Parents in north London have been warned that their children could be excluded from school if they are not fully vaccinated against measles, as local health authorities respond to a surge of the highly contagious disease.
Enfield Council sent a letter to families in late January, stating that pupils who have not received the MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) vaccine and are identified as close contacts of confirmed measles cases may be asked to stay away from school for 21 days in line with national public health guidance.
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At least 34 children have contracted measles in Enfield so far this year (Image: Getty)
At least 34 children have contracted measles in Enfield so far this year, some of whom required hospital treatment, according to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA). Local health officials expressed concern over the rise in cases, describing the numbers as significantly higher than usual.
“Outbreaks do happen in pockets across the country, but certainly in our area we’ve not seen an increase of this degree before,” Dr Jo Sauvage, chief medical officer for the North Central London Integrated Care Board, told BBC.
She added that around 60 suspected cases have been confirmed, mostly in schools and nurseries, with hospitalisations predominantly affecting children who have not been immunised.
A local GP surgery reported infections in at least seven schools across Enfield and neighbouring Haringey. Dr Ellie Cannon, another north London GP, said the outbreak was the first time she had seen measles in her 20-year career and warned that low vaccination rates are a key factor.
Official figures reveal that just 64.3% of five-year-olds in Enfield received both doses of the MMR vaccine in 2024/25 – one of the lowest rates in the country and far below the 95% coverage needed to prevent outbreaks.
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National uptake was 84.4% that year, a decline from 88.8% a decade ago.
The council has urged parents to check the vaccination status of their children, and catch-up clinics are available for free to ensure any missed doses are administered.
Authorities emphasised that the MMR vaccine is safe and that most parents who delay vaccination are not “refusers” but “vaccine hesitant,” often due to difficulty arranging appointments or uncertainty about side effects.
Measles is spread through coughs, sneezes, and contact with contaminated surfaces. Early symptoms include high fever, sore and watery eyes, coughing, and sneezing, followed by small white spots inside the mouth and a blotchy red or brown rash that usually begins behind the ears and on the face before spreading.
The rash can be harder to detect on brown and black skin.
The current outbreak comes amid a national decline in vaccination rates and after the UK recently lost its World Health Organization measles elimination status.
Over 2,900 cases were confirmed in England in 2024, the highest level in more than a decade, with nearly 1,000 further cases reported in 2025.
Health officials stress that early vaccination and prompt reporting of suspected cases remain the most effective ways to protect children and limit the spread of the disease.
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